


Cracked Seed

by klepto_maniac0



Series: Seed Universe [2]
Category: Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-08
Updated: 2015-07-24
Packaged: 2018-03-21 22:57:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 45
Words: 151,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3706811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/klepto_maniac0/pseuds/klepto_maniac0
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. Seiftis. Love doesn't conquer all when witches are involved, or does it? Sequel to New Seed, but Cracked Seed is readable without having gone through it. </p><p>COMPLETED</p><p>Preceded by: New Seed<br/>Followed by: Growing Seed</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

8 April 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

Squall was grey with blood loss and trauma, and as the wardens carried him into the infirmary and the doctors hooked him up to blood replacement and IV's, Seifer stood at the back of the room. He leaned against the wall and drummed his fingertips on his crossed arms, his eyes fixed on Squall's waxen face. He was in bad shape, made even worse once Edea's ice spikes had been removed from his chest. Seifer remembered hearing the words 'deflated lung' and 'massive internal bleeding'. His own chest seemed to ache. Had it really only been a week ago that they'd been taking the field exam side by side, and Seifer had been the one who'd nearly died from shredded organs and massive bleeding? Fortunately for him, Squall was unconscious. He wouldn't know the bewildering, inexorable terror of death coming closer.

 

Right now, anyway.

 

“When will he be conscious?” Seifer asked the doctor, who bowed deeply.

 

“Sir Seifer, it's hard to say. He's in superb physical health but that's frankly the only reason he's still alive. It took almost a continuous application of para-magic to keep his system from shutting down.” The doctor shrugged helplessly. “Maybe if we had more magic, but as it is, we've just run out. And using potions at this fragile stage would likely hurt him instead of help.”

 

Seifer's lips thinned. He had exactly three Cure spells left and while Edea had forbidden him to use them on himself except in case of emergency, she hadn't said anything about casting on anyone else. And as much as Seifer's lower leg hurt, the potion he'd applied right after battle made it bearable and able to be walked on. Never again would he underestimate Quistis and her whip; she'd all but ripped the muscles off their attachments. She pulled no punches, which was to be admired as much as feared. She should have been mission leader instead of Squall.

 

Seifer blinked and for a second, saw sunny blonde hair spread across the pillow instead of dark brown. The fist-sized wound in Squall's chest would be even larger in Quistis's, but the surge of fear and panic that went through Seifer's at the thought of Quistis being so injured seemed to scoop out all his organs.

 

Seifer growled in irritation. He shouldn't be having thoughts like those anymore. Edea needed him to be strong. She needed him to be focused.

 

“Everyone except for medical staff, get out,” said Seifer, surging up off the wall and gathering Cure magic in his hand. “Nurse, take notes.”

 

“Yes, Sir Seifer,” stammered the nurse, looking around immediately for a piece of paper and a pen as everyone scrambled to obey his orders. “On what?”

 

“On what he says,” said Seifer, casting Cure over Squall. As soon as the sparks touched Squall's pale body, color flowed back and Seifer saw Squall's eyelids flutter. The second Cure made Squall groan lightly and Seifer stepped around to the side of his injured shoulder, looking down at him as the younger SeeD blearily opened his eyes.

 

“Aren't you glad I always kicked your ass?” Seifer asked, making Squall turn and focus on him. Not very well. Seifer's mouth twisted as he saw the younger man's pupils were different sizes. “You wouldn't be nearly as tough without me. And trust me... You're gonna need that toughness.”

 

“Where are we?” Squall asked, his voice slurred.

 

“Is he on pain medication?” Seifer asked the doctor.

 

“Yes, Sir Seifer.”

 

“Take him off it.”

 

The doctor paled but complied. Seifer nearly grinned at his obedience. It was _fun_ being the Sorceress's Knight. It felt right, people doing what he said without question. For once, people realized who was actually in charge.

 

“ _Now, is Squall going to behave too?”_

 

“We're in D-District Prison,” said Seifer as Squall blinked slowly, wincing a bit as the subtle drip of medication eased. “Because you tried to attack the Sorceress.”

 

“Orders...”

 

“Yeah, yeah. I had them too.” Seifer put his hand on Squall's injured shoulder, making the brunet SeeD jerk. “Fortunately, I had a change of heart... But that's not important. So Squall, tell me about your mission. Who sent you?”

 

“Not telling,” said Squall, rolling his eyes up to glare at Seifer. “You know that.”

 

“ _You learned as well as I do that we don't give up names,”_ was what the blue-grey glare said. 

 

“Now Squall,” said Seifer, patting his shoulder very firmly; Squall went white with pain. “There's no reason to be stubborn about this. If the client didn't give you all the information, then you can cite breach of contract. You know that. So tell me everything.”

 

“No.”

 

Using two fingers, Seifer pushed right on top of where he knew the brachial plexus was located. Always a tender spot, it would no doubt be afire with pain after the ice spike. Squall could not stop from making a choked gasp that bowed his body into an arch of pure pain, half-lifting him off the bed. The doctor and nurse looked alarmed.

 

“Tell me who wants Edea dead, Squall,” said Seifer, slowly increasing the pressure. Squall panted, a fine tremble going through his body. Peripherally Seifer was aware of the heart monitor beeping faster and faster. “Martine's too much of a pussy to do this himself. Who's behind wanting her dead?”

 

“No,” the younger SeeD choked out.

 

“Come on, Leonhart. I don't want to have to get mean.”

 

He really didn't. Squall was a dumbass and Seifer was pretty sure he'd kill himself in battle one day, but Seifer had enough fond memories of him that he didn't want his last one of Squall to be one where the boy was screaming in agony. Not this way, anyway. Now in a duel, that would be fine. Seifer made a mental note not to fuck up Squall's shoulder muscles even as he continued to stab into the nerves, making Squall go sweat-sheened with pain.

 

“Tell me who's trying to kill Sorceress Edea.”

 

“F-f-fuck you,” Squall gasped out.

 

Seifer grinned. “Aww. Baby's first swear.” He eased pressure for exactly two seconds before stabbing again, making a harsh cry tear itself from Squall's throat. “Just tell me what I want to know, Squall. Otherwise I'll just keep pushing this nice big button right here... Or maybe not. I've got your friends. Someone's gonna talk. The little runner girl, the wuss... He wouldn't last five seconds.”

 

“Quistis,” Squall gritted out, looking at him. “Y-you'd hurt her too?”

 

The reckless promise stayed behind Seifer's lips as he looked into the brunet's wide but angry eyes. Seifer leaned down over Squall, putting his weight into the point he was pushing instead of relying on strength. He saw Squall's eyes roll back into his head and was vaguely aware of Squall's heels thudding back on the hospital bed.

 

“The only one that matters to me is the Sorceress, Squall,” said Seifer, his voice soft with conviction. “So what do you think?”

 

Squall gasped, eyes so wide Seifer could see the whites all around. And then he passed out. Seifer rolled his eyes and straightened.

 

“Get him fixed up right,” said Seifer to the doctor and the nurse, who were both trembling violently and looking down at their feet like good peons. “We're doing this again tomorrow.”

 

“Y-yes, Sir Seifer,” said the doctor, bobbing awkwardly. “U-uhm, the pain medication—?”

 

“Put it back on for now. He'll heal quicker if he's not a mess while he's sleeping.” Seifer folded his arms and drummed his fingertips again, going through his options. “And as soon as you're done, get out. I'll be using the main room and there's no reason for you to be around.”

 

“Yes, Sir Seifer,” said the doctor while the nurse bowed and said, “Thank you, Sir Seifer.”

 

He gestured at them impatiently and once they settled the IV's, they fled. Seifer looked at Squall for a long moment, his mouth twisting.

 

“Don't die on me, now,” he said to Squall, his voice half irritated and half affectionate. “I hope for your sake you're tough enough. This won't get any easier.”

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: Yes, this is an extremely short first chapter. Look, it was either 3 pages or 21, the majority of which was.... Well, you'll find out soon enough.

 

I spoiled all of you with New Seed's daily updates, but for Cracked Seed I'm going to go every other day or MWF, whichever is easier for me to remember. Still whacking away at Part 3, haven't even gotten to Part 4 yet. Need to buy some time for consistency's sake.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	2. Chapter 2

10 April 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

  


“ _There's nothing wrong with crying, Selphie, but crying never solved anything.”_

 

“ _I know, Papa,”_ thought Selphie as she looked around the prison cell. Nevertheless the urge to cry was nearly overwhelming, not just because they were in a prison and probably going to die, but because her mission track record was _awful._ Did any other SeeD in the world have two failed missions and pft, that was it? Selphie sighed, a quaver in her voice. At least she wasn't alone. Rinoa was with her and Zell and Quistis too, though they were both still unconscious. The two awake girls were looking around the cell, trying to find a way out. It was as much to pass the time as actually try to escape.

 

Light groans made Selphie and Rinoa turn around. Zell pushed himself up into a sitting position first, Quistis following soon after.

 

“Welcome back,” said Selphie brightly. “How do you feel?”

 

“...bored,” said Zell, looking around. “Am I actually awake now? I have to be...right? Because I swear I was just here.”

 

“You're not making sense...” said Rinoa, tilting her head. “What do you mean?”

 

“Ooh, was it the 'dream world'?” Selphie asked, her eyes lighting up.

 

“Dream world?” Quistis asked, confused.

 

“Yeah, the dream world. With Sir Laguna and Kiros and—”

 

“Ward,” finished Zell, nodding. “That's who I was.” He looked around, saying, “And I was here. Or somewhere like here, anyway.”

 

Meanwhile Quistis was looking at Selphie very strangely. “Did you say... Kiros? And Laguna?”

 

“Yep,” said Selphie. “Which one were you?”

 

“...Kiros...A while ago...” said Quistis slowly. “But...how? I don't understand. What is it we're experiencing?”

 

“Beats me,” said Zell, rubbing the back of his neck and looking around. “But I know where we are. This is D-District Prison.”

 

“Galbadia's favorite place to toss political prisoners,” said Rinoa, her mouth twisting. “Which is what I guess we are. We _did_ try to attack the sorceress.”

 

Everyone fell silent at that, ruminating on their own memories of the disastrous encounter.

 

“Where's Irvine?” Zell asked, looking around with a frown. “And where's Squall?”

 

“Squall still needed medical attention, so I think they probably took him to the infirmary,” said Rinoa, looking worried. “I don't know about Irvine.”

 

“And what about Seifer?” Selphie wondered, tilting her head. “Brainwashed or turned evil or...?”

 

A loud clang made them whip around and two wardens with arms that screamed 'steroids' swaggered in. Quistis felt herself bristling with dislike, a reaction shared by everyone else in the cell. One of the wardens had a particularly mean look on his face and directed it around the cell with a sneer.

 

“Which one of you is Quistis?”

 

“That would be me,” said Quistis evenly.

 

“You're coming with us,” said the mean warden, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. His compatriot held up a pair of elbow-to-wrist shackles that would completely prevent her from doing magic or anything more complicated than clubbing someone in the head. “Himself wants to see you.”

 

“Himself?” Selphie asked.

 

“The Knight. Sir Seifer.”

 

Everyone looked at Quistis then. Quistis blinked, not knowing what to think.

 

“Move it,” said the mean warden. Belatedly Quistis moved forward, but it wasn't fast enough for the mean warden, who snapped, “Hey! Don't drag your feet! You listening?”

 

“She's moving, man, leave her alone!” Zell snapped. The mean warden's head whipped around like a snake.

 

“What'd you say to me?”

 

“Zell, be quiet,” said Quistis as she held her hands out for the shackles; the second warden snapped them on and then let go, probably expecting her to exclaim from the weight. Quistis instead fixed him with a cool gaze and lowered the heavy restraints with calm and control. Still, it was unsettling when the second warden just leered and gave her a once-over that felt like slimy tongues going over her skin. Out of the corner of her eye, Quistis saw Selphie cringe and Zell start to bristle.

 

Footsteps made them turn toward the door, which clanged open to admit another warden. This one looked considerably less mean, though the worn grip on his billy club showed he wasn't exactly nice either.

 

“Rinoa?” He called.

 

“That's me,” said Rinoa, glancing unconsciously at Zell and Selphie.

 

“Follow me.”

 

“Where are you taking Rinoa?” Zell demanded, his temper flaring. Quistis understood perfectly; she was a SeeD and interrogation was part of the life, but Rinoa was just a civilian and there was absolutely no telling what would happen to her.

 

“None of your business, convict!” The mean warden snapped, swinging his club at Zell's head. Zell turned to face him head on and barely flinched as the warden cracked him squarely on the head with the club. “W-what?”

 

“My grandma hits harder than that,” Zell said challengingly even as blood seeped from his hairline and down his forehead.

 

“Zell, don't antagonize him,” said Quistis, though she was surprised. She knew the martial artists of the Garden received heavy conditioning, but surely his head had to be ringing.

 

“But Quis—”

 

“I'll be fine,” said Quistis firmly.

 

“Me too,” said Rinoa, touching him on the shoulder. “Just... Stay safe, okay?”

 

“I'll make sure he doesn't get into too much trouble,” said Selphie, making both Rinoa and Quistis smile a bit.

 

Quistis was not surprised when she and Rinoa were led off in different directions, but the look of worry that the younger girl shot over her shoulder before they were separated sent a chill through Quistis's stomach. She collected herself and put on her best facade of calm as the wardens walked her up to the top floor.

 

“Three guesses what he wants you for, beautiful,” said the second warden with an obvious leer. “And when he's done, maybe we'll get a turn too.”

 

“ _Sexual intimidation. How cliché.”_ Quistis wondered if there had ever been a time when she'd interacted with enemy combatants in the field and had _not_ been threatened with some sort of sex-based violence. Even when she'd been fifteen and fairly flat she'd still been subject to vulgar comments, threats, and on more than one occasion, touched _very_ inappropriately.

 

But on the plus side, none of those offenders had ever lived.

 

“The fuck are you smiling for?” The mean warden demanded as Quistis imagined snapping their necks like brittle sticks.

 

“I think she likes the idea,” the second warden sniggered as they went up the stairs to the next floor.

 

“ _I should just crack their vertebrae and leave the spinal cord mostly intact,”_ thought Quistis, feeling a bit of bloodthirsty amusement that was definitely not human. Her monster souls sometimes acted up in the strangest ways. _“Lots of pain and no way to make it better.”_

 

Quistis jumped when she felt a hand stroke over her behind and _up_ into places she did not want. Pivoting on her heel, she cracked the leering warden across the face with her shackles and he fell down the stairs with a curse, whacking his head a few times on the metal steps before sliding to a stop at the bottom. To her surprise, the mean warden burst out laughing.

 

“You had to know that was going to happen someday,” said the mean warden as the leering one got to his feet swearing sulfurously.

 

“You little bitch! I'll—”

 

“Hey! No!” The mean warden nearly pushed Quistis off the stairs as he stopped his co-worker from charging up them. “No. Himself wants her, remember? You remember the last guy who pissed him off?”

 

The leering warden growled, but looked away from Quistis.

 

When they got up to the top floor, Seifer was waiting for them outside a door marked 'Interrogation'. Even knowing he was alive again, Quistis's heart still stalled at the sight of him. He was back in battle dress instead of the disguises they'd worn on their failed mission, and on the surface he looked the exact same as the rambunctious, difficult student Quistis remembered and the passionate, surprising man she'd given herself to. But there was a cast of strange cruelty over his face that was different from his usual arrogance and his eyes were dark as the night sea instead of light, living green. As Quistis's hackles raised, Seifer looked over her dispassionately and then at the warden behind her.

 

“What happened to you?” He asked.

 

“Her,” said the warden, pointing at Quistis.

 

Unexpectedly Seifer laughed. “Then you must have deserved it.” To Quistis, he asked, “What'd he do?”

 

“He laid hands on my person.” She decided to try something. “Specifically, my behind.”

 

“Did he now...” As she'd hoped, Seifer looked displeased.

 

“He also threatened to rape me.”

 

“What?” The warden exclaimed. “No I didn't—”

 

“He insinuated that _you_ would rape me and that he'd have a turn afterwards,” said Quistis, watching Seifer's face closely. She saw his pale skin turn mottled with rage.

 

Seifer's reaction was swift and totally disproportionate. Drawing Hyperion from his side, he aimed the gunblade at the offending warden and pulled the trigger. Quistis felt the rush of a large-caliber gunblade bullet whizz by her head and behind her, there was an explosive, meaty crack and a spray of coppery tang in the air. Quistis was impressed. Gunblades were not precision instruments, though she wasn't surprised that Seifer's custom model had rifling in the barrel. She looked over her shoulder and saw the one warden fall to the ground, minus the top half of his head.

 

“Don't you fucking touch her,” said Seifer, his voice calm but brimming with restrained violence. The mean warden was pale and shaking, looking like he was about to vomit. “None of you are good enough for her. Come here.”

 

Quistis walked forward, searching Seifer's face. Selphie's notion of 'brainwashing' seemed both more and less likely the closer she came, because the increase in violence and the sheer fact that he was standing with Sorceress Edea indicated something was wrong... Yet he was not acting uncharacteristically, and as she approached, she saw his eyes flick to her with something like warmth.

 

“ _Love you.”_

 

With a mocking bow he opened the door to the interrogation room for her and Quistis walked in.

 

She was not particularly surprised that D-District had an interrogation room, nor that the equipment looked well used. Seifer barely spared a glance at the electrocution rack on the wall before putting his hand on Quistis's back. He seemed too warm.

 

“I'm sorry we have to do things this way,” he said, sounding freakishly casual. He actually nuzzled against her head as he said, “But Squall's going to die if I mess with him any more, so you're up. What's it going to be, Quistis? Pain... Or something more fun?”

 

“Fun for who?” Quistis asked, looking at him coldly.

 

Seifer sighed, looking tired all of a sudden. Raking his hand through his hair, he said, “Come on. I don't want to have to hurt you.”

 

“Then don't.”

 

“Not that simple.” He guided her over to a metal chair with wrist and ankle restraints and made her sit in it. Looming over her with his hands still on her shoulders, he said, “Tell me about the plot to kill Edea.”

 

“It failed.”

 

“You know what I mean. Details, Quistis. I want details. Who's behind this? Martine couldn't pull it off alone, that's why he hired out. But who's pulling his strings?”

 

Quistis smiled politely. “Quistis Trepe, Rank 15.”

 

“Ugggh,” Seifer groaned, letting go of her shoulders. “Please. Anything but that.”

 

“Quistis Trepe, Rank 15,” she repeated. SOP in situations like these was to give name and rank only. SeeDs had died with their names and ranks on their lips rather than submit to torture.

 

“You know they sent us on a bullshit mission, right?” Seifer demanded, his face reddening when Quistis pointedly said nothing. “There was no chance of success with the intel they gave us. There's no reason for you to be loyal. Because of them, you nearly died. And they almost killed me before your eyes. Come on. Fuck those guys, Quistis. Look what they've done to us. They deserve to suffer, don't you think?”

 

“ _Playing on emotions, 10. Rhetoric, 6. You could use more subtlety, my boy,”_ thought Quistis with mixed admiration and disgust. Aloud, she repeated her name and rank.

 

Seifer sighed. He unlocked the shackles and before Quistis could move, grabbed her right arm and put it into the wrist restraint. She struck at him with her free hand but Seifer dodged adroitly and snapped her left arm into the restraints. Quistis aimed a kick at the shin she knew she'd injured and managed to connect, but Seifer's cry of pain sent an unexpected dagger of panic through her heart.

 

“ **Fuck** ,” he snarled, clutching his leg with both hands. Quistis saw blood seeping through the fabric and stared. She hadn't kicked him _that_ hard.

 

“You're still hurt,” she exclaimed softly. “Why?”

 

“Price of failure,” Seifer grunted, letting go of his leg. Roughly he restrained both her feet and before walking to a cabinet and opening it up. Quistis saw him limping, which made satisfaction and worry roll around in her chest.

 

“Seifer,” she said as he turned around, a black case in his hand. Quistis's body chilled with foreboding, but she kept her voice calm and considerate as she said, “You should look after your leg.”

 

“I did,” he said. “And I'm going to have to stitch it up all over again thanks to you.”

 

“Stitch! What do you mean? Just use a Cure—”

 

“Can't.”

 

She looked at him strangely. As Seifer limped over to the exam table in the middle of the room and sat up on it, she asked him, “Why not?”

 

“Price of power,” he said, pulling up his pant leg. Quistis cringed. She was very familiar with the damage her razor-edged whip could do, but she'd rarely seen the aftermath on a living body. The blood soaking through the bandages was bad enough, but when Seifer peeled the sticky gauze from his leg and revealed the jagged, scabbed-over edges of torn flesh that went from his knee to his ankle, tears came to Quistis's eyes. Seifer didn't notice. He opened the black case and redressed his wound. “I need everything I have to protect my sorceress.”

 

“But you can't even Cure yourself?”

 

“There's no point,” he said. “Hers are way stronger. So why even bother?”

 

“She's withholding recovery as punishment!” Quistis exclaimed, making Seifer flinch. “That's not right. You don't do that to—”

 

“Shut up,” he said, looking at her. “I wouldn't even be wounded if you just...”

 

“What?” She demanded. “Not do _our_ job?”

 

Seifer said nothing as he continued to rebind his wound. Quistis couldn't help but notice he used the exact weaving pattern that Dr. Kadowaki did, which made her heart hurt worse. It would have been easier to deal with Seifer if he had been rabid, totally stark raving mad. Once his leg was redressed, Seifer pulled his pant leg back down and shut the black case, a look of irritation and mild bafflement on his face. He half-limped back to the cabinet and this time pulled out a white case.

 

“You know why I wanted to be a SeeD, Quistis?” Seifer asked, looking at the case. “It's because a long time ago, someone I cared about very, very much left me. Becoming a SeeD was a means to an end. I'm strong enough to stay with her now. And take care of her, like she took care of me.”

 

“Are you talking about Edea?” Quistis asked, bewildered. “When did she ever take care of you, Seifer?”

 

Seifer laughed, shaking his head. “You... Even you. I'm not surprised that idiot forgot, but you...” He turned around and opened the case, showing Quistis a set of hypodermic syringes. “Well, maybe these'll help. After I'm done asking my questions.”

 

Quistis leaned away, fear and disbelief fluttering inside her veins. “Seifer, please. Don't do this.”

 

“I have to be sure you're not going to lie to me.”

 

“No, no, no! Please! This isn't like you!” Seifer ignored her and approached, making Quistis struggle. “Seifer, stop!”

 

“Just sit still,” he said, taking out the first needle. His voice was soft with tenderness. “This won't hurt at all.”

 

Quistis wrenched against the restraints, but they had been built to hold people stronger than her. Seifer injected the first needle into her shoulder and at once the chemicals hit her in a rolling haze of intense disorientation; Quistis felt like she was floating and flying as the feeling of the chair underneath her suddenly vanished and then seemed to sink into her body. She groaned softly, her head flopping to her chest. Seifer injected a second cocktail of drugs into her without any trouble and this one seemed to make her memories stretch and turn inside out. Obviously they were truth serums, but the realization seemed to leak out of her ears, leaving only the numb disbelief that Seifer had actually stuck her with drugs.

 

“ _And he gave me full syringes too, back to back. Those aren't calibrated for weight or metabolism or magic resistance... SeeDs have died from overdoses or bad reactions, and I_ know _he knows that, I know I talked about that in class... And yet he still...”_

 

Quistis hoped her junctions were strong enough to endure any possible side effects. She was fairly sure she would be fine since he still needed information, but every little bit helped. Meanwhile Seifer put the case down and just looked at her for what seemed like a long time, a strange look of something like pain on his face.

 

“I'm sorry,” said Seifer quietly, kneeling in front of her. When Quistis blearily lifted her gaze, he gently cradled her face in her hands and lifted her so he could see her. The parallels between now and the first time he'd really kissed her did not escape Quistis even in her fuddled state. “Just tell me what I want to know.”

 

“Okay,” she whispered. She had no intention of doing any such thing, of course, but lying would be very difficult in this state. So she went for another truth instead, consciously choosing to say, “You're really good in bed.”

 

Seifer dropped his head, but she heard him laugh quietly. “Thanks,” he said. “But you know what I mean.”

 

“Uh huh...” Ugh, thinking felt like swimming through molasses. But advanced SeeD training had prepared Quistis even for this. That had been a “fun” week, getting injected with various drugs and learning how to cope. Xu had sat with her through the worst of it with a bucket and endless patience, telling Quistis that everything was fine. This wasn't even the worst thing Quistis had experienced.

 

“ _But Seifer never got Interrogation training, so he doesn't know I have it either. I'll have to use it to my advantage.”_

 

Then Quistis heard a click and then a crackle as a tinny voice came through a speaker somewhere.

 

“Sir Seifer, the missiles for the Gardens are ready for launch.”

 

“Good,” Seifer called back, glancing over his shoulder at the speaker. “Wait for my order.”

 

“The what?” Quistis nearly exclaimed, but modulated her voice at the last second to still sound very, very drugged.

 

“The missiles,” said Seifer to her, talking like she was a child. “Balamb Garden is going to be destroyed.”

 

“What?”

 

“They're training SeeDs to oppose Edea. We can't have that.”

 

“But...”

 

“I know...” Seifer stroked her face, his eyes becoming more blue-green. “I grew up there too. It's a pity, but it's what Edea wants.”

 

“But... Fujin and Raijin and... The juniors...”

 

“You can still save them, Quistis. Tell me who wants Edea dead.”

 

Quistis thought as rapidly as her addled brain would allow. There was no guarantee that giving up any responsible parties would save the Gardens, especially if the sorceress was already pointing missiles at them. Clearly she wanted them gone above all else, especially if she was using flimsy logic like “a couple SeeDs tried to kill me, therefore they are all trying to kill me.”

 

“ _I have to get out. I have to stop the missiles. Which means... I have to get past Seifer.”_

 

But how? Combat was out of the question, being both restrained and drugged to the point where she couldn't turn her head too fast without getting dizzy. That only left trickery. And there was one kind of trickery that men always responded well to.

 

“ _Oh boy...”_ Quistis thought with a sinking feeling in her stomach. What another disgusting cliché. _“Well... Desperate times...”_

 

“You know what I want?” She segued clumsily. “I want you...inside me.”

 

Seifer blinked at her for a second and then laughed, shaking his head. “Holy Hyne, you _are_ gone.”

 

Good. Let him continue to think that. Quistis continued to talk even though she sounded drunker than a sailor on shore leave. “Seifer... I miss you sooo much. I keep thinking about how good you make me feel. I dream about you making love to me.”

 

“That is not what you're supposed to tell me,” Seifer said, his voice edged with laughter and something warmer and rougher she recognized. Maybe he wasn't all the way gone, and something in her thrilled when he caressed her face. But Quistis didn't take it for a victory sign. Instead ehe cast about for the magic words that would make him fall to her feet and unlock the damn shackles, but to her disgust, all that came out were crappy scripts from the erotica website she sometimes drew for. Fortunately she was too drugged to feel embarrassed as the filthy, badly written words fell past her lips.

 

“I mean it. I want you inside me, Seifer. I love everything you do to me. I love it when your hands are on my hips and you're just _pounding_ into me. I want you so much right now. Make love to me one more time, Seifer. Please.”

 

“I can't do that,” he said, sounding very tempted despite the cliched lines.

 

“Why?” She looked at him fondly. “You know I want to. And that you want to.”

 

He sighed shakily. “You're the enemy now.”

 

“Doesn't that make it more fun?”

 

Seifer groaned, looking away for a second. “You're drugged.”

 

“ _And whose fault is that?”_ thought Quistis, irritation flaring like a physical fire in her head. Aloud she said, “I was drunk the first time we made love. Remember? When you took my virginity... And that was alright...”

 

She shifted in place, watching as Seifer's gaze dropped to the motion of her hips. “Please... I don't want anyone but you. Please...”

 

“No,” he said, but couldn't look away.

 

“Please?” Quistis arched toward him as much as her chemical-laden body would allow. Come ON! Damn his reserve and honorable standards! “Just one more time. We might not ever have another chance... I can't stand that. Please.”

 

“No.”

 

Quistis sighed, trying not to sound too frustrated. She needed a different approach, something she could really take an advantage of. “Then can I have a kiss?”

 

“Yes,” said Seifer, stroking her cheeks gently with his thumbs. “You can have a kiss.”

 

She smiled dreamily at him as he pressed his mouth to hers, gently parting her lips to seek out her taste. A part of her wanted to luxuriate in the feeling but instead Quistis concentrated on kissing Seifer as passionately as she could, twining her tongue with his and gently biting his lip. As she'd hoped, his breath came harder and his touch less gentle as she coaxed him towards unwise action, hoping her inexperience wouldn't work against her too much.

 

She took it as a sign that her plan was working when Seifer's hands drifted down from her face to her neck and trailed down the center of her chest. Quistis inhaled slightly, breathing Seifer's musky, amber-like scent as she subtly pressed her breasts against his hands. She felt a slight tug on her shirt and then warmth as Seifer slid his leatherclad hands up her shirt and over her stomach. His kissing became deeper and hungrier, making waves of sensation pulse gently through Quistis's drug-addled head. Quistis moaned softly into his mouth and heard Seifer's responding growl of desire.

 

“Touch me,” she whispered as he drew back for air. Seifer's eyes glowed at the invitation and there was a click as he unhooked her front-clasp bra. The exotic chemicals swirling in her blood made Quistis pant as Seifer ran his hands knowingly over her softest of curves and ended with a flick over her nipples that sent pleasure shockwaving through her chest.

 

“Please, Seifer,” Quistis begged, desire pushing some of her sense aside. “Please touch me.”

 

“Fuck,” Seifer groaned, his face suffused with desire.

 

“I'll be good. Please.” Quistis ran through her options. “I'll keep my hands on the chair. And just let you do what you want to me. Please.”

 

“Fuck,” Seifer repeated, but a second later there was a lack of pressure around her left hand. He kissed her again and said with a slightly self-deprecating chuckle, “This is a really bad idea.”

 

“ _And yet you're doing it,”_ thought Quistis with a surge of aroused triumph. It never would have worked if Seifer was in his right mind, which made her feel bad, but there were missiles being pointed at her home and if ever there was a time for desperate measures, it was this one.

 

Quistis fully planned to punch him as soon as he gave her an opening, but he pinned her wrist to the armrest of the metal chair even as he kept kissing her, and the crushing pressure of his hand would not allow for any movement. So Quistis kept up the act, letting herself enjoy the forbidden sweetness of the encounter a little bit, and silently thrilled when the pressure came off the second wrist shackle.

 

“ _Now if I can just get my hands on him...”_

 

“Behave,” he murmured against her lips. “Or I'm gonna have to get rough with you.”

 

Quistis had the unsettling feeling he wasn't talking about sex anymore and a shiver of fear went down her spine.

 

She was not a small woman, but Seifer was just tall enough that he could grip both her wrists with one hand and still keep up a certain amount of force. Quistis's eyes dropped as Seifer undid his belt and pulled it loose. Looking into her eyes with trust and affection, like they'd talked about this beforehand, Seifer very tenderly bound her hands together with his belt, weaving in and out between her forearms to lock her from elbow to wrist. Quistis curled her hands into fists and hid the motion with a soft, artificial pant; she was testing the bonds.

 

“ _It seems like he's counting on friction to keep this on... Stupid thing looks more impressive than it is.”_

 

Seifer knew about sex, sure. But Quistis was a SeeD, one of the best, and there was no way she was going to let herself be beaten by a brainwashed boyfriend who had exactly _one_ mission to his name. And a failed one at that.

 

Her low back was snugged right to the back of the chair, so there was no way for them to have sex unless she was out of it; even the ankle shackles didn't allow her to sit anywhere other than completely back. Quistis remained very still as Seifer unlocked the shackles, his hands very tight around her lower legs; he hadn't forgotten how she'd kicked him. As soon as her legs were free, Seifer immediately grabbed her by the rough wrist cuffs and dragged her up onto her feet. The surge of motion was intensely disorienting and Quistis gasped as the room tilted and whirled, flying upside-down and breaking into pieces. It was just as well Seifer was holding her up, because without support Quistis knew she would be on the floor. Still, when Seifer lifted her face to gaze into her eyes, Quistis nearly passed out from the new change to her vision.

 

“...This is a bad idea,” said Seifer, shaking his head. “The way you are right now, you wouldn't even feel it.”

 

“No, no...” she gasped. “Just give me a minute. Seeing... Seeing is a lot.”

 

“ _Seeing is a lot?”_ Quistis repeated to herself, disgusted that she'd spoken such an incoherent sentence. But Seifer just laughed and touched her face gently.

 

“Are you sure?” He asked her. “Because I want to _know_ you want me.”

 

“I want you,” she assured him.

 

“You're not trying to trick me?”

 

“No,” she lied. It was easy enough to do with a truth serum; she wasn't _trying_ to trick him, she was actively doing it now.

 

“You're not gonna turn the tables somehow?”

 

Quistis pretended to struggle. Now she was fairly sure she could wrench out of the restraints with no issue; the only problem was that she was so disoriented that she knew she'd only have one chance to actually subdue Seifer.

 

“No,” she lied. Again, a bit of sophistry made the lie slip out easily; she had no intention of literally turning tables. “I'll be good. Please... Please... I want you.”

 

Seifer sighed shakily. She could see his too-dark eyes warming at the idea. What else could she say to drag him along?

 

“Remember...” She said, casting about for missed opportunities he might be obsessing over. “In the safe house when we were in disguise... And I was in that maid uniform...”

 

“Yes...” Seifer breathed. Oh, he was a _fiend_ for that maid uniform.

 

“I wanted you to fuck me against the wall,” said Quistis, making Seifer groan. Apparently he liked invectives. “Please... Please. I'm going crazy.”

 

“Fine,” Seifer said, his voice rough with desire. Quistis nearly swooned when he turned her around, making the room break into component shapes and colors. She was barely aware of being bent over the chair, though she did instinctively clutch the back of the chair for support as Seifer pulled her skirt up and her panties down. Deep breaths helped Qusitis settle her head again, though she wanted to curse when she felt the ankle shackles go back on again. But all was not lost... She could definitely leverage her weight in this position, but it was going to be very tricky. And she would only have one chance.

 

“ _He's going to have to be really unfocused for this to work...”_

 

A hot leatherclad hand came to rest on her hip and Quistis gasped as she felt Seifer rubbing his cock against her. He hadn't bothered with a condom, which convinced her of his mindlessness and the chances of success for her plan. His hardness and his heat made Quistis gasp and pant, not entirely due to artifice.

 

“Hmm... Not nearly wet enough...” She heard him murmur. Seifer did not see Quistis freeze. Was that it? Was that how he was going to realize he was being tricked? Then Quistis jumped as she felt a hot, wet tongue start to lap along her womanhood, making her shudder with sensation. Between the drugs and the forbidden tryst aspect, it actually felt nice, but Quistis pretended like it was better than it was and she subtly tested the range of her motion by pushing her hips back into Seifer's face as he pleasured her. He caught her before she could push too hard or fast and she winced as his fingertips dug into the backs of her legs. He was never so rough normally.

 

“ _Ow,”_ she thought even as she cried aloud, “Oh please, I can't take it anymore!”

 

“ _Finally!”_ She exhorted when Seifer chuckled and rose to his feet, literally kissing her ass before he got up. Quistis looked over her shoulder to see him lining himself up behind her, slicking himself against her now, before he took hold of her hips and pushed.

 

It was _not_ good. It wasn't exactly painful, but Quistis panted and half-sobbed at the slow but inevitable invasion, the pressure inside forcefully displacing organs and structures that hadn't had enough time to naturally move out of the way. It was actually more uncomfortable than losing her virginity had been. To Quistis, the lack of foreplay and real desire was very obvious, but Seifer didn't seem to notice. And that, more than anything else, convinced Quistis that the man she loved was gone.

 

“ _My Seifer would ask if I wanted to stop,”_ she thought, clutching the back of the chair as the man inside her started to thrust slowly but deeply, literally pushing her boundaries. _“He'd back off immediately. This one... This one is an enemy. Fine. I'll use him as he uses me.”_

 

Quistis forcefully isolated her body from her brain, letting the former react like she was getting paid for it while she concentrated on her plan. It was not easy. There was a purely physical level of pleasure that was hard to fight against, but more distractingly the end of every thrust was punctuated by something that felt like a nerve cluster being hit and an unpleasant numbness started to go down Quistis's legs. She endured as he drove into her harder and deeper, hitting her hard enough to make a light slap every time their bodies impacted.

 

“ _Men are literally unable to think when they orgasm. So if I just wait for the right time, I'll have the perfect opportunity to knock him out. Hold on, hold on...”_

 

Quistis glanced over her shoulder. Secure in the knowledge that she was restrained, Seifer had his eyes closed and even despite everything, Quistis still sighed at the picture he made; if only things were different. Nevertheless he was distracted and she all but tore at the belt around her arms. The belt slipped easily over her gauntlets, coming loose almost too fast; Quistis gripped them in place as Seifer bent over her, the rhythm of his strokes changing to be less hard and yet somehow more thorough. That actually felt alright, not that it mattered.

 

“Don't fight me,” he groaned in her ear. “Please don't fight me.”

 

“ _Sorry,”_ thought Quistis. _“Never going to happen.”_

 

“Seifer,” She panted, bracing herself against the chair. “Cum. Please. I want to feel you cum inside me. Please, please...”

 

Seifer groaned, his arms tightening around her. “You're gonna.”

 

“Please...”

 

Seifer cried out and the exact second Quistis felt him suddenly pulse between her legs, she reached over her shoulders, grabbed his head, and then dropped her weight to _slam_ his head into the seat of the metal chair so hard that it rattled. The violent motion nearly made her vomit, and then she yelped as Seifer slumped to the floor and pulled her off-balance. Wriggling free, Quistis turned around and saw that Seifer was totally unconscious. Once her vision resettled, the stunned look on his face made her want to laugh and sigh in pity at the same time.

 

“ _Sorry,”_ she thought, rifling through his clothes for the ankle shackle keys. It was a very awkward angle and she nearly cramped by the time she found what she was looking for. _“Well... Only a little sorry.”_

 

Once free, Quistis stepped over Seifer's unconscious body and went to the examination table. Then she spent what seemed like an eternity staring at the two needles left.

 

“ _Let's see, the extreme disorientation is probably fenmentaldone... He probably gave me thiocrene too, that's the favorite truth serum these days... Which means that if this is a standard Galbadian kit, these last two have to be valmexan and dovorel, which means... I need a third of both to get back to normal.”_

 

Just a third, though. Advanced SeeD training had been very explicit about that, because no SeeD needed to be caught vomiting uncontrollably in the field.

 

Quistis injected herself twice in the neck, wincing as the chemicals in her body amplified the sensation to the point where it felt like she was stabbing herself with a rusty spoon. Clarity throbbed back with each new heartbeat, but Quistis was far from normal when she was done. Her body was still keyed up from sex and walking felt weird and uncomfortable.

 

“ _Now to escape...”_ she thought nevertheless, pulling down her skirt and looking around. Her eyes landed on a door that had a red cross on it, which made her remember what Seifer had said about Squall being too injured to interrogate. Pressing a hand to her pounding head, Quistis tried to walk to the door as straight as possible and then just gave up halfway across the room, telling herself that no one was around to see how drunk she looked. The important thing was getting to the door ASAP. She half-walked into the wall and had to slide her way over to the door, nearly tripping over her own feet more than once in the process. The infirmary door was blessedly unlocked. Quistis was not sure how she would have managed if it hadn't been.

 

“Squall?” Quistis called out, staggering into the infirmary. “Squall, where are you?”

 

“La la la la la...”

 

“Squall?”

 

She found him at the far end of the room, pale and bandaged, hooked up to blood and some other bags. But he wasn't exactly ill, because his back was to her and his hands were clapped over his ears. It took far too long for Quistis to understand why he was adopting that particular posture and also why he was saying “La la la la la” over and over.

 

“ _Oops,”_ she thought, blushing. Just enough of the drugs remained in her system that she was not totally incapacitated by embarrassment. Quistis reached out and shook Squall's shoulder. “Squall, come on. We have to escape.”

 

Squall lifted his hands from his ears and turned very slightly to look at her. His face was bright red.

 

“Come on,” she insisted, unhooking the IVs she could reach. “Let's go.”

 

“...okay.”

 

Squall's clothes were in a chest at the foot of the bed, though his gunblade was nowhere in sight. Quistis watched the door while Squall dressed. Neither of them said anything, Squall because he was too embarrassed and Quistis because thinking still felt like swimming through quicksand. Now that there wasn't an immediate goal to focus on, all the distraction she'd been pushing to the side hit her like a hammer and Quistis found herself thinking longingly of lying down and sleeping for a week.

 

“Okay,” said Squall. Quistis looked over her shoulder at him; he was looking much healthier in his usual clothing. “Let's go. Where's everybody else?”

 

“Floor 7,” said Quistis. “Five flights down. We'll figure out weapons along the way.”

 

As they exited the infirmary, Quistis noticed that Squall also pointedly did not look at Seifer. She did, however, and seeing the dark smear of blood on his lower leg made her pause.

 

“Hold on a second.”

 

“What?”

 

Quistis went over to the drug cabinet. As she pulled it open, she spotted a potion on one of the shelves and went over to Seifer. After reassuring herself that he was still unconscious, she pulled up his pant leg and poured the healing fluid over his bandage, nodding as the traces of injury and wounded flesh disappeared.

 

“Alright,” she said to Squall, straightening. “Now we can go.”

 

“Shouldn't we try to capture him?” Squall asked, gesturing at Seifer.

 

“I don't think we could hold him...” said Quistis, shaking her aching head. “Otherwise yes, I'd be all for it. But you're badly injured, I can't see straight, we're unarmed...”

 

“...and he's not right...” said Squall slowly. “I think... I think he'd try to kill us. Not just hurt us to get away, but really kill us.”

 

Quistis nodded, a lump in her throat. _You can't abandon a traitor; they don't want to come back, so there's no point in taking them home._ “...let's go, Squall.”

 

“Okay.”

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: This is about as porny as it gets in the entire story, but I don't blame anyone if the nature of the encounter makes them uncomfortable. Nothing this dubious happens again and the next chapters are all plot.

 

If you're not turned off, there's an absolutely hilarious picture of Squall on the art tumblr: http://klepto-maniac0.tumblr.com/post/116007395112/from-cracked-seed-chapter-2-squall-quistis#notes

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	3. Chapter 3

12 April 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

Attempts to blow the door open with magic resulted in numbness and tingling up both arms for Selphie and Zell, so trying to escape that way was obviously no good. After about an hour, Selphie suddenly perked up.

 

“Okay,” she told Zell. “Don't get freaked out. But act really freaked out, okay?”

 

“What?”

 

“Hehehe, this is gonna be great.” Selphie laid down on the floor, grinning broadly. She took a deep breath.

 

And then she started convulsing.

 

Zell leapt to his feet with a horrified yell, which was very easy to do because Selphie was having a very convincing fake grand mal seizure. Her limbs banged off the ground, her head thudded into the floor, and her eyes rolled back in her head as completely uncontrolled jerking movements rattled her entire body. Belatedly Zell realized what he was supposed to do.

 

“HEY! HEY! HEY!” He screamed running for the door. “Something's wrong! Help! Someone!”

 

“Pipe down!” Roared the mean warden from earlier. “What the hell is happening?”

 

“She's having a seizure, man, she's having a seizure! Help! What if she bites her tongue off?!”

 

Now Zell knew it wasn't possible for people in seizures to bite their tongues off. Back in elementary school, before going to the Garden, Zell had a classmate who had a seizure condition and his parents and the teacher had explained to the rest of the class what might happen and how to react. They'd also addressed various myths, one of which was the tongue-biting thing, and as Zell had gotten older, he'd realized that not everybody had received this same information.

 

He was really hoping the guards hadn't.

 

The mean warden snarled but came over to investigate, and Zell had the satisfaction of seeing the color abruptly drain from his face when he saw Selphie convulsing on the floor. With a curse the guard unlocked the door and ran inside, half-raising his club at Zell as he passed. As soon as he knelt down by Selphie, Zell ran up lightly behind him and punched him in the head, knocking him out in one blow. Selphie miraculously 'recovered' and rolled out of the way before he could fall on her.

 

“Ow,” she said with a wince, holding the back of her head. “Don't let me do that for so long next time.”

 

“Sure, fine,” he said. “How'd you think to do that?”

 

“I told you, my parents are doctors,” she said with a bright little grin. “And you'll never see a waiting room clear out faster than if Old Mr. Dengs has a seizure. Let's go!”

 

They ran out. Figuring that confiscated items would be in the most secure area, they ran upstairs. Zell initially worried about protecting small, slender Selphie, but quickly found out that nunchaku users at Trabia Garden weren't allowed anywhere near their favorite weapon unless they had several years of martial arts under their belt. Sure, Selphie couldn't hit nearly as hard as he could, but things that used an aggressor's force against him were perfectly up her alley and when she executed a perfect catch-throw maneuver that sent a guard hurtling down the stairs, Zell thought he might be in love. As they scaled the stairs to the next floor up, alarms started to blare.

 

“WARNING. Prisoners on floor 7 and floor 12 have escaped. Monsters will be set loose on each floor. The anti-magic field will be lifted. If any prisoner refuses to surrender, you have permission to kill them.”

 

“Whoo!” Zell whooped as two guards ran at them. Lightning charged up and down his arms as he pounded his fists together, saying, “Let's DO this!”

 

“Yeah!” Selphie whooped, leaping past him and hurling a fireball.

 

Making their way to the top floor of the prison, Selphie and Zell found Quistis and Squall trying to make their way down. Squall was pale and clutching his injured shoulder still, while Quistis staggered unsteadily.

 

“What's wrong with you?” Zell asked, looking her up and down.

 

“Drugged,” she said, blinking hard. “Do you have Esuna?”

 

“Oh, yeah.” Zell cast the healing spell on her and jumped when Quistis winced.

 

“Of course it wouldn't be that easy,” she muttered, clutching her head. “Ugh. Well at least the room stopped spinning.”

 

“Do you know where our weapons are?” Selphie asked.

 

“Probably in the room that says 'armory',” said Squall, jerking his chin in the direction of the door.

 

“Good call,” said Zell, very nearly thumping Squall on the back; he jerked his hand back at the last second as both Quistis and Selphie cried out in alarm. “Hahaha... Sorry.”

 

“Whatever,” grumbled Squall as he cast Cura on himself.

 

Unsurprisingly the armory was locked. As Selphie blasted it unsuccessfully with lightning, Zell cocked his head.

 

“Huh...” He said slowly. “I wonder...”

 

“What?” Squall asked him.

 

“Well... I was Ward in the dream world a while ago, and he worked in this prison. I wonder...” Zell walked over to the keypad and studied it. “Might as well...”

 

Everyone held their breath as Zell punched in six numbers. An electronic peep and a click made Zell whoop and throw his hands into the air. “AWWW YEAAAH! Score one for lazy bureaucracy!”

 

“They let Ward into the armory?” Selphie exclaimed as they went in.

 

“Nah, he just heard the peeps. Every button makes a different noise, you know? So I thought about it and...” Zell grinned. “Come on, let's go.”

 

Their distinctive weapons were easy to locate in the armory, and as soon as they were armed, Selphie laid healing on Squall until he could move without pain.

 

“Now what?” Selphie asked, looking from Squall to Quistis and back again.

 

“We have to get out,” said Squall, lifting his head. “Sorceress Edea has missiles pointed at the Gardens.”

 

“GarDENS?” Selphie exclaimed, eyes wide. “As in...”

 

“Balamb and Trabia,” said Squall, making Selphie gasp in horror. “Before the assassination, General Caraway said she's using Galbadia Garden as her base, so that one will be fine.”

 

“Wait, what?” Zell demanded, turning away from the door. “She's going to do what? How do you know?”

 

“I heard Seifer talking about it,” said Squall, studiously avoiding Quistis's gaze. For her part, Quistis put on a very serious face.

 

“This is bad, really bad,” Selphie fretted. “How do we get out? What are we gonna do?”

 

“Incoming!” Zell shouted, ducking; everyone dropped to the floor as machine gun fire sprayed the ceiling. “Shit! We're trapped!”

 

“Go along the floor, they're shooting from below,” shouted Quistis. They crawled out of the armory, Selphie and Zell throwing spells over the side of the floor for suppressing fire. Suddenly, cracks like thunder made the gunfire from the next floor down stop.

 

“Now _that_ is a rescue,” said a very satisfied voice, or it would have; Irvine's pleased crowing was cut off as he came flying up the stairs and nearly landed on his face. 

 

“Stop trying to act so cool! Hmph!” Rinoa popped up from the stairs. Seeing everyone, her eyes shone like stars. “SQUALL! You're alright. Oh, all of you are alright! Thank goodness.”

 

“You're okay too!” Selphie exclaimed gladly as she got up. “What happened?”

 

“Uggggh,” Rinoa rolled her eyes. “My old man pulled some strings with the military. He sent _this guy_ ,” she looked at Irvine pointedly, who brushed off his sleeves, “To get me and _only_ me out. And he did, even knowing the rest of you were here. Isn't that awful?”

 

“I said I was sorry,” Irvine muttered, dipping his hat so no one could see his eyes.

 

“Only after I scratched you to death,” Rinoa retorted.

 

“Guys,” Squall said pointedly. “Come on. Let's go.”

 

“Exit's thataway,” said Irvine, pointing at a door in the hall on their right. “Cars are outside. Let's boogie!”

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: Another short chapter, but chockfull of good stuff. Funny fact, when I first obtained FF8 and went through the manual (I take such joy in reading the manuals before I play the game), I automatically shipped people by heights. Therefore in my head, it was Squall-Rinoa, Irvine-Quistis, and Zell-Selphie. Seifer didn't get a girlfriend because he was evil and that made perfect sense to my 13/14-year-old brain. Then I actually _played_ the game and went 'Oh, nevermind'.

 

/\/\/\


	4. Chapter 4

14 April 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\  
  


Seifer leaned over the communication console, his head pounding and his heart in revolt. He'd regained consciousness only a few minutes ago, fortunately alone. Realizing what had happened was bad enough, but being found with his pants down was not something he wanted to get back to Edea and the subsequent equipment-destroying rage was not something he wanted her to hear about either. But at least the wrecked chair, table, and cabinet helped sell a story of Quistis, SeeD Prodigy, breaking out like a badass when the prison personnel had come in and found Seifer kicking around the wreckage looking for a potion for the goose egg on his head.

 

“ _She_ tricked _me. She fucking tricked me!”_

 

Oh, she had been so sweet, so soft, so appealing. Hearing Quistis say how much she wanted to fuck him was literally the stuff dreams were made of and a huge part of how they'd actually come together, though Seifer still remembered how shy, virginal Quistis had nearly shaken herself to pieces just from _kissing._ And now this honeypot bullshit? FUCK! Most of Seifer was absolutely enraged that Quistis would stoop so low, but the rest of him that was delighted instead; Quistis was as much 'deadly predator' as 'blonde temptress' and he had the wounds to prove it. What a woman! Too bad she was the enemy, really too bad. The dueling emotions of betrayed fury and appreciation for her talents made Seifer's head hurt even worse and he considered using his last Cure spell to heal his headache, but he'd endured no magic on his leg and that was far worse of an injury.

 

“ _Though that doesn't hurt at all...”_

 

Seifer pulled up his pant leg, already bracing himself for more stitches. To his surprise, his leg was completely healed aside from a bumpy set of white scars that matched his old injury. What?

 

“ _No wonder I couldn't find a potion...”_ Seifer thought, staring at his leg. _“She must have used it on me...”_

 

Unexpected tenderness flared in his chest, making Seifer growl and look away. No nice things for Quistis, not anymore. She had tricked him and abused his trust and then tried to kill him. Seifer repeated that over and over in his head as he pressed the communication code for the missile base.

 

“Status,” he barked when someone answered the call.

 

“Sir Seifer, the missiles are ready for launch,” said the commander on the other end, making Seifer wince as speaking made pain pulse through his brain. The base of his neck thudded with dull pain too; Quistis had cracked his head _really_ hard. Why hadn't she just killed him, especially when he'd been unconscious at her feet?

 

“ _Maybe there's some honor in her after all,”_ snarked a bitter part of his soul.

 

“ _Or she still cares,”_ said the optimist in him. 

 

“ _Well, at least I got mine,”_ Seifer thought prosaically. Unconsciously he licked his lips, a traitorous and transgressive thrill of pleasure going through him as he remembered how good she'd felt. That deeply sexy way she looked over her shoulder at him, crying out in pleasure, soft and warm with begging...

 

“Sir Seifer?”

 

“What?” Oh, the missiles. Aloud he said, “Launch missiles for Trabia Garden immediately and then prepare the launchers for Balamb Garden. Over.”

 

“At once, Sir Seifer. Over.”

 

Seifer rubbed the base of his neck, grumbling. _“Sorry, Trabia. Nothing personal. At least I don't know anybody there...”_

 

Still, if Trabia Garden was anything like Balamb Garden, it was going to be around break. Juniors would be swarming the halls in colorful clothing, happily ditching their uniforms in preparation for going home to see family or go on vacations. Even the family-less wards would be excited because without the constraints of classes, the faculty would actually relax and have fun. Seifer remembered his own breaks fondly; Prof. Arc reading mythology and terrifying stories in the Training Center, watching movies on a projector in the Quad, caulking the doors of all the annoying seniors while they were away (that was more of a him, Fujin, and Raijin activity and it was practically a ritual now; Seifer had no intention of giving it up now that he was a SeeD)

 

wait

 

WAIT

 

Seifer gritted his teeth. His head was pulsing again, but not with physical pain. Not a SeeD. Not a SeeD anymore. Something better. Something greater. He swallowed down a lump in his throat and told himself that this was what he really wanted.

 

“ _Power. Prestige. Acceptance. You don't get that being in the rank and file, just a face in a uniform. This is way better.”_

 

With an angry huff he pushed away memories of a sillier, sweeter childhood and concentrated on the future, specifically reporting in to Edea. He was reluctant because he had nothing but failure to give her, and the idea of making her disappointed felt like a stab in the chest. However, the idea of lying to her or just not telling her something was even worse. She wasn't Cid, who was happy as long as shit got done and never mind the details; Edea was more hands-on. It should have annoyed Seifer but he wanted to make sure that he got it perfect for her. With a sigh to brace himself, Seifer called his sorceress.

 

“Yes?” Edea's cool voice seemed to make his pains flare into worse fire.

 

“Missiles for Trabia Garden have been launched,” he said shortly, hoping this would be quick. “Missiles for Balamb Garden to follow.”

 

“And did you find out who wanted me dead?”

 

“Unfortunately, no,” said Seifer, flushing with embarrassment. “Even baby SeeDs don't crack under pressure.”

 

“ _And veterans... Yow.”_

 

“Disappointing,” said Edea, her cold voice making Seifer hang his head. “How can I sleep in security, my knight, knowing that my would-be murderers walk free?”

 

“I'll hunt them down for you,” Seifer promised, his hands clenching to fists on the console. “The SeeDs, Martine, anyone.”

 

“Hunting... Perhaps.” As Seifer cringed, she asked, “Where are the SeeDs now?”

 

“...They've escaped.”

 

“How?” Her voice was like a shot going off.

 

“Quistis Trepe is a sixty-mission veteran,” said Seifer, carefully editing what came out of his mouth not just in words, but tone. Nothing but respect for Quistis. Respect _only_. “She disarmed me and knocked me unconscious. I can only assume that she sprang the others too.”

 

“And _no_ valuable information was gotten from her?”

 

“No.”

 

Edea tsked, which seemed to hit Seifer like a slap across the face. “No matter... Soon, there will be no one to oppose me. Supervise the continuing strikes, my knight, and then return to my side. We will meet in Galbadia Garden. I have a certain need for...travel.”

 

“Travel?” Seifer was confused. The whole reason they were apart right now was so she could concentrate on consolidating her hold on the government. Why would she do that and then leave her seat of power?

 

“We are going on a hunt, my dear knight,” said Edea, the pleasant anticipation in her voice making Seifer's heart feel lighter. “For a girl named Ellone. She has a unique power that I need, so she must be captured alive and unharmed.”

 

“I'll find her for you no matter what it takes,” Seifer promised, lifting his head. He almost thought he could see Edea before his eyes as he put his hand on his heart and said, “I swear.”

 

/\/\/\

 

Everyone in the world was freaking out about Sorceress Edea, but all Fujin and Raijin cared about was that Seifer had apparently thrown everything he wanted away to serve at her side.

 

Seifer. Serving. Something was wrong. They knew it from the first second they saw footage of the Sorceress's Parade and saw him standing on the float with a strange smile that made chills run up their backs.

 

The latest news said that the Sorceress was operating out of Galbadia Garden. Raijin and Fujin didn't spend their Garden Ward stipends on much, but it still took everything they had _and_ raiding Seifer's room to get enough money for two train tickets for that long of a distance. They packed for a long trip, bringing extra clothes, snacks, and anything they couldn't live without, which in Raijin's case was his set of mala beads from his late mother and in Fujin's case was the chakram she'd made herself in Weapons Forging and Maintenance. The trip took eighteen hours, which they spent sleeping or speculating quietly about what was going through Seifer's head.

 

When they arrived at Galbadia Garden, the place was stuffed with military and a scattering of frightened, confused wards who clustered together like chickens. When Fujin and Raijin told the soldier at the gate that they wanted to see Seifer, they were rudely met with, “ _Sir_ Seifer doesn't see anybody.”

 

“Why you—”

 

“FRIENDS,” said Fujin sharply, pulling Raijin back as he half-lunged at the petty soldier-bureaucrat.

 

“And I'm the King of Centra,” said the soldier snidely, raising his blade as they tried to get around him and into the Garden proper. “He didn't tell me he wants to see you, so he ain't gonna see you.”

 

Fujin and Raijin looked at each other.

 

“Okay,” said Raijin, backing up.

 

“FINE,” said Fujin, also backing up.

 

They walked a certain distance away from the Garden, all but whistling and looking completely innocent.

 

“Far enough, you think?” Raijin asked Fujin, looking around.

 

“GOOD.”

 

“Alright... After you, Fuj,” said Raijin with an elegant bow.

 

Fujin mock-curtseyed. Then she focused an Aero at the ground below Raijin's feet and with a precision application, blasted him a hundred feet into the air. Raijin shot up like a rocket, trailing lightning in his wake. Soldiers around the Garden began to shout in alarm, their startled yells reaching a fever pitch when Raijin blasted lightning off his skin in a brilliant globe that rivaled the afternoon sun. As the sunspots faded from his eyes and he started to fall back to earth, Raijin spun around in the air.

 

“ _Come on, where is it, where is he...”_

 

A plume of fire erupted from the far north of the Garden, making Raijin whoop. As Fujin caught him with another Aero spell and the soldiers closed in, she asked him, “SEIFER?”

 

“He knows we're here,” said Raijin, taking out his staff and giving it an easy twirl. “Let's give him about five minutes. Give him some travel time, ya know?”

 

Fujin grunted in agreement as she readied her chakram.

 

By the time Seifer arrived, there was a ring of bleeding and/or unconscious soldiers around Fujin and Raijin about four bodies deep. They came aware of his presence like the sun rising at their backs and when they turned, they saw him grinning like he usually did right before laughing aloud.

 

“Guys,” he said, holding his arms out. “Come on. Do I break your stuff?”

 

“Yeah,” said Raijin, nevertheless easing up. “My cup that one time.”

 

“TEXTBOOK,” said Fujin, lowering her chakram.

 

“Oh, the mirror.”

 

“BOOTS.”

 

Seifer laughed. “Alright, I get it. At ease,” he said to the soldiers, who warily lowered their weapons. “Get these idiots into the infirmary. Fujin, Raijin, follow me.”

 

“Man, look at you,” said Raijin as they walked into Galbadia Garden a step behind Seifer. “What happened?”

 

“I switched sides.”

 

“WHY?” Fujin asked, exchanging a worried glance with Raijin. It hadn't escaped either of them that Seifer seemed thinner and paler, and that there were dark circles under eyes that shone with enthusiasm.

 

Seifer shrugged. “Being a SeeD wasn't what I really wanted.”

 

“It wasn't?” asked Raijin, surprised: Fujin's mouth dropped open. “So we hallucinated you talking about it nonstop for the past five years?”

 

“I was a dumb kid. I was mistaken.” Seifer turned abruptly and faced them. His eyes seemed darker than they remembered. “You'll understand once you meet her.”

 

“MEET WHO?”

 

“Edea.” Abruptly Seifer swept them both into a hug, squeezing them tight. “I'm so... So glad you're still alive.”

 

“We're glad you're alive too,” said Raijin, nevertheless wary.

 

“WHY?” Fujin asked. It was just like her to cut straight to the heart of the matter.

 

“Because Edea bombed the shit out of Balamb Garden.”

 

Fujin and Raijin jerked back. “WHAT?” They yelped.

 

“Yeah,” said Seifer, nodding. He looked like he was talking about something interesting he'd just read, not the utter annihilation of the place they all called home. “She had to. They were training SeeDs to oppose her.”

 

“But...” Raijin gaped.

 

Fujin grasped Seifer's hand. “MISSION.”

 

“Yeah, what happened on your mission?” Raijin asked. His eyes widened. “And... Where's Quistis?”

 

“Tch!” Seifer jerked his hand out Fujin's as he whirled around, suddenly angry. “Don't talk to me about her.”

 

“WHY?”

 

“Because she broke my heart and then she tried to break my neck.”

 

“Why?” Raijin asked, now more confused than ever.

 

“Because she's fucking crazy, that's why!”

 

“SEIFER,” said Fujin severely, making Seifer stop in his tracks. He knew damn well how Fujin felt about the word 'crazy' and they took it as a good sign when Seifer sighed heavily and turned back around.

 

“Alright,” he said with exaggerated patience. “From the top. Quistis and I left Balamb on a mission to kill Sorceress Edea. Quistis tried and failed. I, on other hand, saw Edea for who she is and I realized that my entire life, I have been training to protect her. I broke ranks with SeeD to become her knight. Quistis didn't like that, so she tried to kill me. Twice.”

 

“Okay,” said Raijin, nodding slowly. “We get that. But...”

 

“EDEA, WHO?” Fujin asked. Taking a deep breath, she asked carefully, “I mean, who is she to you, _specifically?_ You never talked about her before.”

 

“She's my mother.”

 

Fujin squeaked. Raijin nearly fell over.

 

“Your...” He gasped.

 

“Well, the closest thing to a mother I've ever known,” said Seifer with a shrug. As Fujin and Raijin recalibrated, he said, “Before I came to the Garden, I was just one of many kids in an orphanage by the sea. She was there. Edea. Except I called her Matron back then. One day, she had to leave us and I swore I'd get strong enough to protect her. So...”

 

Raijin looked at Fujin, bewildered. Fujin looked at Seifer and folded her arms.

 

“DREAM?”

 

“This _is_ my dream,” said Seifer softly. “Being a sorceress's knight... _This_ sorceress's knight... It's all I ever wanted. It's where I belong.”

 

Fujin looked at Raijin, turning her palms up helplessly. Raijin sighed and looked at Seifer.

 

“Really?” Raijin asked him. “It's _really_ your dream?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Really really?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Really _really_ rea—”

 

“Yes! It is, yes!” Seifer slashed at them impatiently with his hand, but history told them that he'd never connect. “Look, I'm happy you're here. And I wish you could see how important this is. But if you don't, fine. That's it. We're done.”

 

Done? At once Raijin thought of all the times Seifer had ever sat up with him on the anniversary of his father's desertion, skipping class to wait all day and night with Raijin as he looked out over the distance. Fujin remembered handing Seifer the story of her life on a piece of paper that was spattered with tears and getting a hug instead of pity, as well as a promise that _she_ was valued and worth fighting for.

 

There was no way that they were _done_ just like that. No way.

 

Raijin sighed heavily. “Alright,” he said, folding his arms as Fujin nodded, face somber. “Then we're with you all the way. Don't run off on us like that again, ya know? It's not cool.”

 

Seifer smiled, the tension flowing from his body at once. It was too fast. It was unsettling. “Okay. I won't.”

 

Fujin held her arms out for a hug and Seifer came to her, Raijin following a second later. Seifer seemed so happy and so relaxed that he didn't notice that Fujin and Raijin clung onto him, gripping him like they could turn to stone walls around him and protect him. He was as much their brother as their leader and their shining sun.

 

“ _We have to stick by him,”_ thought Fujin, seeing her thought reflected in Raijin's eyes. _“No one else will.”_

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: I hope everybody has someone in their lives like Fujin and Raijin.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	5. Chapter 5

16 April 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

  
  


Drugs, constant battle, and the use and effect of para-magic played hopscotch in Quistis's short-term memory, causing her to be startled at odd times as the various chemicals leached out of her system. Squall and Rinoa assured her that she had been very competent and very efficient during the trip back to Balamb and the subsequent trip into the basement to activate the Garden's antigravity engine, but clarity did not truly return until Quistis tried to go to her room to sleep and found that she couldn't open the door. Rinoa and Squall were with Cid and Xu right now to catch him up on recent events, which meant there was no one around to see Quistis being stumped by a closed door.

 

“What now?” She muttered tiredly as she slid her keycard through the slot two, three more times. Each time the lock buzzed annoyingly at her and she groaned, letting her head thump against the door. She was so tired. She just wanted to rest. The entire train ride from the continent to Balamb, she had been fretting about making it back to the Garden in time. And of course there had been no opportunity to rest upon returning, since Cid had immediately sent her, Squall, and Rinoa into the sub-basement of Balamb Garden to activate the Centran defenses just in time to escape the missiles coming over the horizon. It had been an exhausting ordeal and Quistis was so tired that she nearly wanted to cry. That was how Xu found her, head still against the door, holding a keycard that refused to work.

 

“Oh...” said Xu, her voice full of pity. “Xiaomei. Um...”

 

“What is it now?” Quistis groaned.

 

“Well... Here. Why don't you sleep in my room?”

 

“I want to sleep in _my_ room,” said Quistis petulantly. 

 

“Enhhh...”

 

“...oh. Wait.” Quistis lifted her head. The nameplate that should have said 'Trepe' was now blank. “I'm not an Instructor anymore. So...”

 

“Yeah...” Xu sighed awkwardly. “Your room's been reassigned. We moved everything while you were gone.”

 

“I thought there weren't any regular rooms available,” said Quistis, thinking of the vastly smaller space of a normal SeeD room and sighing.

 

“Well... One opened up.”

 

“Why?” Quistis looked at Xu. “Who died?”

 

Xu cringed, looking intensely awkward. “Well... He didn't die, exactly. But he's made it pretty clear he's not coming back and that he doesn't want to be a SeeD, so...”

 

Quistis stared at Xu for what seemed like far too long before certain facts finally fit together. “...Great Hyne in Heaven, are you telling me that you moved all my things into  _Seifer's_ room?”

 

“What could fit in there.”

 

Quistis put her hands to her face. She couldn't take it any more. She was so tired. Her head still hurt like it was a glass ball breaking on the floor over and over again. Seifer was gone, somehow in a more complete way than he'd ever been when he was merely dead. As Quistis started to weep, Xu grabbed her shoulders and steered her over to her room.

 

“Okay, okay, okay,” said Xu, worry making her cluck like a chicken. Some of her accent started to slip in as she unlocked the door and pushed Quistis inside, saying, “I'm going to your room, okay? I'm gonna get your blanket and your pillow and your pajamas and whatever you want, just lie down here and sleep, okay? Right here. Okay? Okay?”

 

“Okay, Xu,” Quistis wept, trying not to bawl as everything became too much to handle.

 

“Okay.” Xu hugged her hard and kissed her on the forehead as Quistis sank onto Xu's bed. “You wait right here.”

 

“Wait.”

 

“What?”

 

“I want my shampoo. I want to take a bath...”

 

“Yes, yes,” said Xu, half-running to the bathroom. Quistis heard her turn the water on. “I'll be right back. Don't drown in the tub before I come back, okay?”

 

As soon as Xu was gone, Quistis pulled herself to her feet and slowly began to undress. By the time she managed to shed her clothing and get to the bath, the tub was two-thirds full of steaming water. Quistis turned the water off as she climbed in, ignoring the near-burning temperature and closing her eyes. She wanted to sleep so badly, but the need to be clean after everything (especially running around in the grimy, oily sub-basement) was overwhelming. When Xu came back with a bag from Quistis's new room, she took one look inside the bathroom and saw that Quistis was on the verge of collapse.

 

“Oh boy,” Xu sighed. “Do you need some help?”

 

“M'fine.”

 

“Mmhmm.” Xu made an executive decision. “Well, how about I wash your hair?”

 

“Okay.” Quistis was so tired she was almost passing out in the bathtub.

 

Xu took off her jacket and came into the hot, steamy bathroom. Emptying out her rinsing cup, Xu poured water over Quistis's unbound hair until it was completely soaked and then thoroughly shampooed the girl's locks until not a trace of blonde could be seen. The entire bathroom soon smelled like nectarines and neroli. As Xu lathered, her fingers caught on something metallic.

 

“What's this?” Xu asked, lifting Quistis's hair. “You're wearing jewelry?”

 

“Huh? Oh... Yeah.” Quistis touched her collarbone. The necklace was something like a flat plate strung on a bit of chain that seemed obnoxiously masculine.

 

“I thought you hated jewelry,” said Xu, continuing to lather the younger woman's hair as Quistis slowly fingered the flat plate on the necklace. The present and the past seemed to blur before Xu's eyes as she remembered a shellshocked fifteen-year-old Quistis, fresh off her field test and absolutely covered in blood. She'd needed help washing her hair then too, even though it had been much shorter.

 

“Tell me the worst of it,” Xu said softly, knowing that Quistis would never say a word unless someone asked it of her.

 

“I just realized we're going to have to kill him,” said Quistis, shutting her eyes. “Just hunt him down and murder him, so we can get to her.”

 

The breath caught in Xu's throat a little. Suddenly she recognized that obnoxiously masculine necklace and the significance of Quistis wearing it.

 

“ _For fuck's sake, of all people...”_

 

But this was not the time to debate one's dating choices.

 

“Sometimes that happens,” said Xu slowly. “Sometimes we get hired by opposing forces and—”

 

“But that's just a job,” Quistis interrupted, her voice soft and cracking. “This is...personal, Xu. He tried to kill all of us. He stuck me with drugs. He's... He's gone. And there's this Seifer-looking _thing_ that's running around and wreaking havoc, but I still see who he used to be and I feel like I'm killing _that_ Seifer.” Tears started to spill down Quistis's face. “And it's not like he'd even come back if we killed her, you know? We just don't know. And he'll never step aside. He gets hurt so badly for her and he'll die for it. Because we'll kill him.”

 

“Xiaomei...”

 

“I don't want to kill him,” Quistis wept, clutching her steel necklace. “He's not there. It wouldn't be right at all, he wouldn't even know why...”

 

She curled into a ball and sobbed in the tub. Xu hugged her, rocking her back and forth. Not for the first time Xu cursed Seifer Almasy, but it was the first time she wished true, genuine harm on him.

 

“ _I wish Quistis had never seen you like that. Then she could kill you with only half a broken heart because she had to end a former comrade, not someone she had feelings for.”_

 

Xu had heard the rumors in the hall. Who _hadn't_ seen Quistis and Seifer dancing together all night at the SeeD Graduation Ball? Did they see the way he sat with his arm around her shoulder and whispered in her ear? And hadn't they left _together_ well before midnight? And oh, hadn't they looked _sooo_ happy?

 

And Xu had seen them at the Ball together too, catching them out of the corner of her eye as she talked with Alton and Agatha, the SeeDs from Trabia and Galbadia respectively. She had outright stared when she'd seen Seifer nuzzling Quistis's ear and making her blush and giggle like any other girl her age, never imagining that the arrogant showoff who pissed Xu off just by existing could make her precious xiaomei finally soften up. It had taken so many years for Quistis to be able to smile, and knowing how precious that was, how easily it could go away, made Xu incredibly jealous of who Quistis gifted it to. Xu wanted to _know_ someone was worthy of receiving it. She had just been getting around to being okay with Seifer-frigging-Almasy being the object of Qu-er's affection before _this_ shit had happened...

 

As though Quistis needed another betrayal in her life.

 

/\

 

Cid stepped out of the car and took a moment to polish his glasses. Twenty-year-old Xu stepped out next to him and looked skeptically over the ill-maintained house, the paint peeling off weathered boards and falling into a weed-filled yard.

 

“ _This_ is where our wonder girl is?” Xu asked, looking at Cid. He put his glasses back on and smoothed his hands over his stomach, which was starting to get pudgy from sitting so often. Without saying anything he opened the gate and walked in, leaving Xu to sigh and then make sure her sword was within easy reach. Cid hadn't told her to arm herself, but when he'd asked her to accompany him, she'd noticed the outlines of long knives inside his button-up sleeves. Something was going down and he might need backup.

 

They walked up the path to the front door. Xu's eyes flicked from side to side, noticing the saccharine prayer paving-stones that fenced the neat path and suppressed an eye roll. There was no rule saying religious people couldn't be smart, though when times had been tough for Xu's family, putting their faith in cash was what had provided real salvation. The gods had never listened to prayers to spare her brothers or sisters from starvation and sickness. Trying not to let her irritation show, Xu fingered the tassel on the end of her sword as Cid knocked on the door and waited. After a moment, the door opened up to reveal a middle-aged, plain-looking woman with the large circle symbol of the Zelbagan faith hanging around her neck.

 

“Teresa Laine,” said Cid, making Xu look at him in surprise. “It's been a few years. Where is Quistis?”

 

“Who are you?” The woman asked, looking worried.

 

“Cid Kramer. You and your husband Dagon adopted Quistis from my orphanage three years ago,” said Cid, straightening his glasses with just his middle finger. “I will see her now.”

 

“Ah...” Teresa looked like she might step aside for Cid's brusque request, but at the last second she shook her head, saying, “That's impossible. She's at school.”

 

“Funny,” murmured Xu. “We went to her school first and they said she was at home.”

 

Teresa looked sharply at Xu and then at Cid.

 

“You see, we did try to call,” said Cid mildly, though his eyes flashed behind his spectacles. “But we were hung up on. Repeatedly. More than ten times, actually. So we became concerned, which is why I am here.”

 

“Well, there's nothing for you to be concerned about,” said Teresa in a poor attempt at normalcy. Xu noticed that she started fingering her pendant, her eyes darting from side to side. “I... I'd forgotten. She's sick. She's so quiet, I completely forgot she was at home resting. But she's very contagious, so you can't see her.”

 

“Ah, yes, I had heard Quistis was unwell,” said Cid, making Teresa relax. “But you see, my test proctor told me that it was because she had been _starved and beaten.”_

 

“T-test proctor?” Teresa repeated, going pale.

 

“Yes,” said Cid, his eyes narrowing. “For you see, I no longer run an orphanage. I run Balamb Garden. I train SeeDs—Xu is one, by the way, the First and the best. Quistis took our entrance exam and passed with flying colors, but she did _not_ show for the pickup two days ago. I wonder why that might be?”

 

The woman immediately slammed the door in their faces. Cid blinked and then looked at Xu.

 

“Well, what do you make of that?” He asked her.

 

“My gut says she's hiding something,” said Xu.

 

“Mine as well,” said Cid. He gestured at the door. “If you please?”

 

Xu rearranged her junctions for strength, took a step back, and kicked the door down. There was a high-pitched female scream from inside that made Xu reach for her silence spells and look around to make sure there were no witnesses. Cid forged inside. When Xu followed, Teresa Laine was running out of the living room in what looked like a panic and Cid completely ignored her.

 

“Quistis!” He called, casting his gaze around. “Quistis! Where are you? It's Cid! Quistis!”

 

“Headmaster, you wanna tell me what's going on?” Xu asked, looking sidelong at the normally calm, mild man. Cid opened his mouth to answer and then shoved Xu to the side as the concussive blast of a shotgun firing rent the air. Xu whirled and saw Teresa Laine aiming a shotgun at them, her eyes wild and the double barrels shaking.

 

“ 'If the nonbelievers should disrespect the sanctity of your castle, destroy them',” Teresa quoted and fired again. There was a little scream from a closet door behind Teresa, which made Cid's eyes narrow.

 

“What the hell?!” Xu demanded, cowering for cover behind a couch. “Headmaster!”

 

“In a moment, Xu,” said Cid, who was vaulting over the couch and running at Teresa as she tried to reload the shotgun. Yanking it from her hands, he punched her hard enough in the face to completely knock her out, and again there was that little scream from the closet as Teresa slammed into it and then slumped to the ground. Danger dealt with, Xu got up and went to the closet door, which Cid was trying to open. Xu's eyes narrowed at the sight of the multiple locks that went all up the opening side of the door.

 

“Quistis, is that you?” Cid called as he started undoing deadbolts as fast as he could. “Quistis, it's Cid. Do you remember me?”

 

Muffled sobbing from inside nearly broke Xu's heart.

 

“Quistis, Quistis, it's alright. It's Cid. I've come to take you home.” Cid undid the last deadbolt and pulled on the doorknob, but the door simply rattled in its frame. “What the devil?”

 

“Needs a key,” said Xu, inspecting the doorknob. “Or... Hey, little girl? Quistis? Put yourself as far to the... To _your_ right side as much as you can, okay? Okay?”

 

Shuffling noises came from inside the closet, almost hidden underneath the weeping. Xu took a step back and touched her saber to the crack between the door and the frame. Cid stepped back too and waited as Xu made a few test swings before pulling her saber above her head and slamming it down with force. A metallic ringing belled through the air as Xu neatly cut through the lock mechanism and nothing else, and when Cid pulled on the door, it came open with chunks of broken lock cylinder dropping to the floor. The noises almost covered Cid and Xu's gasps of shock.

 

The inside of the closet was _filled_ with long, wicked iron nails, and the metallic tang of blood hit them like a hammer. Huddled against the side and shaking like a leaf was a little girl with hacked-off hair, her thin arms and legs covered with deep scratches. Some were fresh. Most were not. Cid knelt in front of her, holding his hands out.

 

“Quistis,” he called softly, his voice filled with pain. “It's Cid. Cid from the orphanage. Do you remember me? Do you remember me, Quistis? I'm so sorry, Quistis. I'm so sorry. I'm here to take you home, I promise.”

 

But when he reached out and touched her on the knee, Quistis flinched away, almost driving herself into the nails. Cid bowed his head and Xu sheathed her saber.

 

“Let me try,” she said softly, making Cid look away. Kneeling by the door, Xu tapped the floor by Quistis's foot and called softly. “Little girl... Hey, little girl. It's okay. You're alright. You're not in trouble.”

 

The shaking just grew stronger.

 

“I _promise_ you're not in trouble,” said Xu, wracking her brains. Kids worried about such crazy little things. “You haven't done anything wrong. We're here to take you to Balamb Garden.”

 

“...the Garden?” Oh, the sound of her broken little voice nearly made Xu want to cry. Little girls shouldn't sound so lost.

 

“Yes, Quistis,” said Cid, stifling his tears. “The Garden.”

 

“I passed?”

 

“Yes, you passed,” said Xu. “You passed with _such_ high marks that the Headmaster came to get you personally. You are so smart and so talented. We came to get you... And take you home.”

 

“I missed the pickup...”

 

“It's not your fault,” said Xu, looking at the nail-filled closet and gritting her teeth.

 

“What about...” Quistis lifted her head and Xu fought to keep her face still at the sight of the ugly bruising over the little girl's face. Someone had blackened both of her eyes and god only knew what else. “What about the... The adults? They said I can't go...”

 

“Oh, we'll see about that,” said Cid, his voice very cold. Quistis didn't seem to hear him.

 

“They said I failed... That I wasn't good enough to go...”

 

“They lied to you,” said Xu, anger thrumming in her veins. “I told you, you passed with _such_ high marks.”

 

“You're a SeeD?” Quistis asked, her eyes fixated on Xu's uniform and saber. Xu meanwhile looked at Quistis's dirty clothing and gritted her teeth. She was in just a tee shirt and underwear, no doubt to expose as much flesh as possible to the terrible nails.

 

“I'm the First SeeD,” said Xu, and Quistis's large blue eyes widened in something like awe. Xu's heart seemed to crack wide open at sight. “And I'm your new big sister, okay? Xu-Jiejie. Well... Just Xu. Okay? Come here. I've got some magic that'll make you feel much, much better.”

 

“Magic's sinful...”

 

“Do you believe that?”

 

“...No,” said Quistis, painfully unfolding her limbs. Xu was glad to see a spark of rebellion in her large blue eyes, even with the bruising all over her face and limbs. “But _they_ do.”

 

“Well, let's give them a big ol' fuck you and use some magic,” said Xu, making Quistis laugh a little at the invective. As Xu cast a Cure over the little girl, Cid looked at her keenly.

 

“Xu...” He said slowly. “Do you have this in hand?”

 

“Uh... Yes?” Xu looked at him, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

 

“Excellent,” said Cid, getting to his feet. “I believe I will make some calls... I'll meet you two at the train station in about an hour.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Please keep careful watch over Quistis, Xu,” said Cid, his eyes falling on the slumped-over body of Teresa Laine. “This shouldn't take very long.”

 

/\

 

Between Quistis's high scores and her obviously traumatic past, it was decided that she needed to start junctioning ASAP—there was no need for anyone to remember something so terrible, though Cid refused to equip additional GF's to rid himself of his shame. As Quistis's voracious appetite for knowledge and physical abilities rapidly outstripped the standard curriculum, Xu found herself in the position of Quistis's private tutor and over the years watched the frightened girl from the closet turn into a sharp, deadly young woman whose lack of friends might be explained by having no true peers. Xu had tried not to be worried. Quistis was young and surely not the only genius in the world. She'd meet someone she liked one day... Someone who made her smile and could stand at her side in all sorts of battles... Someone who could watch over her with the same love and protectiveness that Xu had if something ever happened...

 

“ _It's too cruel that the_ one _person she thinks fits those parameters had to go off the fucking deep end.”_

 

In the present, Quistis managed to tiredly soap, rinse, and dry herself, but Xu still helped her get dressed in her pajamas and then escorted her over to the bed, which Xu had outfitted with Quistis's blankets and pillows. As Quistis crept into what was essentially now her bed, Xu tiptoed out of the room and snagged an unopened bottle of wine on the way out. She could get a lot plotting done in her office while Quistis was asleep, and if inspiration did not strike, the wine would at least help her imagine how she was going to destroy Seifer Almasy for betraying not only the Garden, but the most important little sister in Xu Xiong's life.

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: The whole bit in the middle with Quistis's backstory was just added in the last couple of hours. Why? Because I felt like Xu and Quistis needed more history together. As for Cid, he was so ashamed that he couldn't face Quistis after that, and he took the coward's way out by staying away and letting the GF's eat her memory until he only existed as the Headmaster to her. It didn't take very long. Quistis had already relegated the happier times at the orphanage to the realm of dreams and impossibilities because remembering what she'd been taken away from was too painful. Cid doesn't look the same to her either, which was why she didn't recognize him when they saw each other.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	6. Chapter 6

18 April 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

Every day for a week Squall asked Cid or Xu if they'd gotten a call from Selphie, Zell, or a Galbadian sniper named Irvine Kinneas, and every day for a week, the answer was a regretful, sorrowful no. Squall simply nodded every time and walked away, but the leaden feeling in his chest became heavier and heavier until Squall realized he couldn't ask again. There was only one reason why not a single one of them would report back in over a week, and that reason was because Squall had ordered them to go on a suicide mission.

 

On the morning of the eighth day, Squall didn't see a point in getting out of bed. The Garden was still drifting aimlessly, which meant he was trapped inside with people who looked at him and realized half his team was dead because of his stupid decisions. There was nowhere to run to, but at least in his own room he could lock the door and do nothing without being judged for it. Squall curled up on his side and shut his eyes, trying to go back to sleep. Anything felt better than waking up to failure again.

 

Soft knocking made him grumble before the intoxication of self-indulgent grief got too intense. “Who's there?” He called.

 

“Rinoa.”

 

Squall dragged the blankets over his head. Rinoa... Facing her made him feel even more embarrassed. In the prison, during the long train ride over, and during the frantic scramble to activate the Centran machinery under the Garden, she'd proved over and over that she wasn't just a silly civilian and Squall felt like an idiot for critically misjudging her. Especially because she was able to juggle competence and kindness, and despite both Squall and Quistis being under a lot of stress (and Quistis being stoned and slow to recover—Esunas did not cross the blood-brain barrier, apparently), Rinoa had never lost patience or been anything other than attentive and quick.

 

“Can I come in?” Squall heard her scuffing her toe in the hallway. “I'm bored. And hungry. Let's get something to eat.”

 

Squall sighed heavily. But at the same time, the word 'hungry' made Squall realized that his own stomach was a yawning pit of nothing, so with a mutter he rolled out of bed, dragged on his clothes, and went to the door. Rinoa looked him up and down as soon as the door hissed open.

 

“Sleeping too much isn't good for you, you know,” she said playfully.

 

“Whatever.” He walked off and Rinoa followed after him.

 

“Are we going to eat?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“What's for breakfast?”

 

“It's Wednesday,” said Squall, having to think for a moment. “So it's probably pancakes. Sausage. Regular stuff.”

 

“What do you usually eat?”

 

Squall shrugged. “Toast. Fruit. Nothing heavy in the morning.”

 

“I'm the same,” said Rinoa, lacing her hands behind her back. “Did you know Quistis just eats hardboiled eggs and toast for breakfast? I'd get nauseous. I don't like a lot of protein in the morning.”

 

Squall nodded, only half-listening. It was soothing just to hear Rinoa talk, especially about mundane things.

 

“I heard there's a library around too,” said Rinoa, making Squall glance at her. “Maybe I'll check out some books... Do you like to read, Squall?”

 

“Not really.”

 

“Not really?” Rinoa repeated, seeming surprised. “Why not?”

 

“No time. Other things to do.”

 

“Like be a SeeD?”

 

Squall stopped in the hall and turned to look at her, wondering if she was judging him. But she seemed very mild.

 

“It's not all that you're good for, you know,” said Rinoa, making Squall stare at her a bit. “There's more to life than your work, even this work.”

 

He didn't know what to say to that. Or to her. Somehow Squall felt like trying to explain the depth of her ignorance about his field, his  _life_ , would cost thousands of gil as a lecture series from an expensive university. Wordlessly he turned and kept on walking. 

 

“ _More to life... Like what? Hobbies? Friends? People keep telling me I should have them. But it doesn't make a difference in the end. You're always alone... So why tempt yourself with things that don't stick around?”_

 

He abruptly became aware of footsteps by his side and turned; Rinoa was keeping pace with him, her gaze even. For some reason Squall felt embarrassed.

 

“You have to do _something_ for fun, right? _”_ Rinoa asked, her voice still light and casual.

 

“No.”

 

“I don't believe that,” she said, making Squall look away. “Everyone needs downtime. And to play. You like cards?”

 

“...yeah...”

 

Rinoa clapped her hands, making him look at her strangely. “Hooray! One thing I learned about Squall Leonhart, he likes cards. What else?”

 

“There's nothing else,” said Squall, again feeling that rush of embarrassment as he looked into Rinoa's sparkling eyes. “Just... Training.”

 

“ _Except my only partner is gone... Nobody else is even a challenge...”_

 

Thinking about Seifer made Squall's lips thin. It was a bitter mixture of betrayal, bewilderment, and something like grief that made him grit his teeth every time a memory of the blond gunbladist crossed his mind. When Squall thought about things, he couldn't remember a time when Seifer wasn't around to insult him or beat him up or bully him to the point of tears. It hadn't been fun most of the time, but it had been a constant. _Seifer_ had been a constant.

 

And he hadn't been mean all the time.

 

“ _You won't get killed by anything that can't kill me. And I'm damn hard to kill.”_

 

“ _You wanna wreak some havoc too, don't you?”_

 

“ _You buttoned it wrong. Come here.”_

 

Unconsciously Squall sighed. He couldn't believe he was _missing_ Seifer Almasy after a lifetime of abuse, but in this situation...

 

“ _In this situation, he'd be the one in charge. And he'd be fine with Selphie and Irvine and Zell not reporting in. He'd be keeping busy or... Something.”_

 

Rinoa sighed, pulling Squall back to the present. “You know, you're gonna go into critical failure when you're needed the most if you keep getting wound up so tight.”

 

Squall scowled, looking away. “...You sound like Seifer.”

 

“What?” Rinoa looked at him in surprise.

 

“Usually right when he'd run into my room and hit me,” grumbled Squall, folding his arms. At least once a year, Squall would be lying in his room, minding his own business, when the door would fly open and Seifer would charge in like a white hurricane.

 

“ _Get up, Leonhart! If you get any more stiff and boring, they're gonna use you to mine for diamonds. Training ground, now.”_

 

“ _Go away,”_ Squall had used to say. _“I don't wanna.”_

 

“ _Then we're fighting here,”_ Seifer would retort before yanking Squall's pillow out from under his head and beating him mercilessly until Squall lost his temper and chased a laughing Seifer down the hall at gunblade-point. And then they'd usually end up in detention or doing some sort of disciplinary work outside, which ranged from weeding to washing Garden vehicles or helping teachers supervise training trips for the junior classmen. 

 

“Why are you smiling?” Rinoa asked Squall, who looked at her in surprise.

 

“I'm not smiling.”

 

“Not hugely, but you've got this little smirk on your face.” Rinoa mimicked his expression, making Squall snort softly. “You two were friends, huh?”

 

“No,” said Squall, annoyed. “He was a jerk.”

 

“You can be friends with jerks.”

 

“A friend is someone you actually want to be around,” said Squall disgustedly, gesturing with one hand. “He was a classmate. A training partner. That's all.”

 

Rinoa looked at him with dark, unconvinced eyes until Squall looked away.

 

“I know you guys all work really hard,” said Rinoa, her lashes lowering over her dark eyes. “And you want to be the best. But what do you want to be the best for?”

 

“I don't want to be the best,” said Squall, folding his arms. “I just wanna live.”

 

“Live or survive?” Rinoa asked, glancing at him. When Squall frowned at her, she said, “Because it looks to me like you're doing the second thing. Just going along day to day. Don't you have a dream?”

 

“ _One day I'm gonna tell you about my dream.”_

 

Squall took a deep breath. “I... I don't see the point. Dreams are lies. And you wake up from them eventually. I'd rather live in the real world.”

 

“The real world, huh...” Rinoa's mouth pulled in a small, humorless smile. “My old man keeps telling me 'this is the real world'. Usually when he's trying to shut me up or make me feel bad about something. You know what, Squall? Real is subjective.”

 

“...what?”

 

She lifted her head and Squall could see the light of the revolutionary come into her eyes, seeming to fill her skin with an inner radiance. She seemed very beautiful and untouchable all of a sudden, making Squall both want to step closer and feel like he couldn't look at her.

 

“I don't like the real world, Squall,” said Rinoa. “But I _love_ what it could be. That's why I do what I do. Squall... You can do it too. Make your own world. And live instead of survive.”

 

“I'm not like you,” said Squall, shaking his head. “I...”

 

“ _I'm a mercenary. I trained myself out of fancy and dreams and hope... Anything that didn't definitively help me live to the next day.”_

 

“I know you're not like me,” said Rinoa, looking at him. “And I'm not trying to make you like me, or make you _like_ me, even with what I said at the ball. I just want to know what you do for fun and how you relax. I think you need to.”

 

“Whatever,” he said, looking away. He startled a bit when she put her hand on his arm without any warning; most people in the Garden know not to touch SeeDs and SeeDs-in-training, who often had violent startle reflexes. Rinoa was lucky she didn't get punched.

 

“My old man tells me about something else,” she said, her eyes dark and serious. “ 'The price of command'. He says that when you're leading an operation, the success belongs to the whole group but the failures are the leader's alone.”

 

Squall inhaled sharply, but Rinoa shook her head.

 

“It's dumb,” she said, making Squall stare. “Because if you trust people enough to carry out orders in the first place, you have to trust them enough to know that their mistakes are their own too. And sometimes stuff just happens. People try their best even when things don't work out... So don't blame yourself, okay?”

 

“I can't do that,” said Squall before he could stop himself. “I sent them out. And now they're de—”

 

Rinoa put her fingertips against his lips, stunning him again with her boldness.

 

“Don't put that out in the air,” she said. “Not until we have proof. Until then, we have hope.”

 

_Hope._ Squall hated that word. But when he looked at Rinoa, he realized that she didn't use 'hope' like rose-colored glasses or a desperate drug. It was just an option she could choose, one that let her sleep better and be more relaxed, and at the same time clear-headed and even happy.  _Hope._

 

It didn't sound so bad when Rinoa said it.

 

Squall sighed and Rinoa took her hand from his face, smiling a little apologetically. Squall folded his arms, feeling embarrassed. Why? She'd been the one who'd touched him, not the other way around.

 

“Let's get breakfast,” he said, walking off. Rinoa laughed softly and followed after him.

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: some Squinoa-building. As Seiftis-centric as Cracked Seed is, I think I'd be remiss in completely ignoring the other/main relationship in FF8.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	7. Chapter 7

20 April 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

  


After Operation: Disperse the Stormclouds was a success, Rinoa went and spent time with Quistis. The older girl had recovered beautifully from being drugged and interrogated, but she was also too much into her own head for entirely different reasons. Rinoa found Quistis trying to rearrange her room, which was no easy feat considering the sheer amount of stuff she had.

 

“Knock knock,” said Rinoa as she rapped her knuckles against the doorframe. Eyeing the books and computer equipment on the bed, she asked, “Need any help?”

 

“Thanks, but I'm not sure how you could help,” said Quistis as she tried to stack books horizontally and vertically to fit as many of them into the prebuilt shelf as possible. “I really need more shelves, but SeeDs aren't permitted to modify their rooms until they've been active for at least five years.”

 

“How many more years for you?” Rinoa asked, cocking her head.

 

“Just one. But it's going to be an eternity if—oh!” Quistis yelped as books tumbled out of the shelf and all over the floor.

 

“I think you need some milk crates,” said Rinoa, eyeing the mess on the floor. “College student style. Let's raid the cafeteria.”

 

“I need my old room back,” said Quistis bitterly. “I didn't think I'd need so much space...”

 

“Stuff piles up,” said Rinoa with a little shrug. She helped Quistis stack her books, which ranged from weapons manuals to art theory, and seeing the large texts on human anatomy made Rinoa remember the last real conversation she'd had with Quistis a seeming eternity ago. “Hey... I just wanna say sorry... About right before the mission. You know? When I asked you about...the porn that you draw.”

 

“The...oh.” Quistis didn't even turn red, and that was impressive considering her extreme reaction last time. Or maybe it was actually very worrisome. Rinoa decided she needed more information about Quistis.

 

“Well, part of my embarrassment was due to me misconstruing your words,” said Quistis, making Rinoa blink and then start laughing so hard she nearly dropped books all over the floor again. “I thought you were asking me describe what Seifer and I got up to.”

  
“Oh!” Rinoa giggled. “No, I'd never ask for details about...you know, _that_ personal stuff. That's too creepy. But I do wanna know how you got into making 'stuff', you know?”

 

“Well...” Quistis looked a little embarrassed and amused. It was the most human she'd looked in a while, which Rinoa took as a sign that her tactics were working. “I suppose it started because I was curious. I... I like to research things thoroughly, and when I... Developed an interest in such things, I naturally went looking.”

 

As Rinoa started to giggle, a real blush went up Quistis's cheeks. The blonde woman busied herself with moving computer equipment from her bed to her desk.

 

“Well, I very quickly realized that I didn't like most of what I was looking at, so I started exploring my options and I ended up finding people who were interested in telling... Oh, positive stories. More realistic ones, ones that made me feel like sexual intercourse was more than just biology. I became friends with them and we shared thoughts and... Suddenly I found myself with a side business.”

 

“That is so cool,” said Rinoa sincerely. “Really! Most people are way ashamed, but I really like that you're not afraid to talk about stuff.”

 

“It's only embarrassing because of stigma,” said Quistis, looking at Rinoa and smiling slightly. “And because I don't really expect people I know to see what I do. I'm surprised Seifer told you about my side business. You two were very close, weren't you?”

 

“Yeah, for like a month,” said Rinoa. She glanced at the door, making sure no one was hanging around, before whispering to Quistis, “He was really easy to fall in love with, wasn't he?”

 

“I wouldn't say that,” said Quistis, but then she sighed. “But... It happened, I suppose. And in two weeks, nonetheless.”

 

“That's how it was for me too!” Rinoa said, pointing at her. “Was it like BAM! I love you or like this slow gradual thing that suddenly made sense one day?”

 

“I...” Quistis blinked at her, nonplussed. “I suppose... Bam?” She sighed, her hands stilling on her computer cables. “I'm still not sure. When I thought he was dead, it felt like being stabbed. But then I found out he was alive and yet not the person I knew, so... I don't know what to feel.”

 

Rinoa nodded sagely. Quistis cocked her head.

 

“Do you still have feelings for him?” Quistis asked. “Because if you don't mind me saying so, it seems like you're chasing Squall.”

 

“Chasing? Hmm...” Rinoa pursed her lips. “Well, he _is_ pretty good-looking. And a really good guy, once you get past all the stiffness. I don't know! There's something just really deep and fascinating about him. Like he's capable of so much and doesn't know it yet because he's been running from it so long. Whereas Seifer runs so hard at something that he doesn't see what's around him.”

 

Quistis blinked at Rinoa, then shook her head. “You've perfectly encapsulated what I've felt about those boys for years.”

 

“ 'Those boys'?” Rinoa repeated, a smile creeping up around her lips. “Quistis! Aren't you eighteen? You're just a little bit older than them!”

 

“You haven't seen them rolling down the hallway,” said Quistis an aggrieved voice. “Punching and kicking each other and trying to beat each other up on the training ground... Seifer actually used to send Squall to the infirmary about once a month when they were younger. I had to break them up all the time.”

 

“Really?” Rinoa exclaimed, her brows raising. “But Squall won when they fought in the parade!”

 

The memory was vivid in Rinoa's mind. She had seen Seifer fight a few times when they had been dating and had always been struck breathless by his power and predatory grace. But Squall had moved... Well, there was no word for it other than 'perfect'. Every movement was so precise that even a gunblade amateur like Rinoa could tell that Squall _really_ knew what he was doing.

 

“Squall is an excellent gunbladist,” clarified Quistis. “Seifer has always been merely talented.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Squall works hard to master every movement he knows, whereas Seifer just learns every move he can set eyes on,” sighed Quistis. As Rinoa nodded in growing understanding, Quistis added, “It makes Seifer sloppy, but he's always been fast enough and strong enough that it hasn't hurt his combat abilities. If he truly applied himself like Squall did, he would be probably the best gunbladist in the world. But he hasn't, so...”

 

“...wow,” said Rinoa, making Quistis look at her in surprise. “You really _were_ his teacher, weren't you? That would be brutal coming from anyone else and I'd probably tell them off, but you know exactly what you're talking about.”

 

Quistis's mouth twisted wryly and she went back to setting up her computer, saying. “Well... I wouldn't be much of a teacher if I didn't give my students honest assessments. Not that it mattered in the long run...”

 

Rinoa grinned a bit at that. “Sooo what's Seifer's 'assessment', then? Just in your opinion?”

 

Quistis stopped, eyes wide. “I... I don't see how...”

 

“Oh come on, you're not telling me anything I don't already know,” said Rinoa somewhat wickedly, watching as the blush popped back onto Quistis's cheeks. “I just wanna gossip, you know? It kills time. And it's not like he'd ever hear us...”

 

“...I suppose that's true...” Quistis fiddled with the cables.

 

“Plus, don't _you_ want to talk to somebody?” Rinoa asked conspiratorially, making Quistis blush harder.

 

“I... I guess we could compare notes,” Quistis mumbled, her eyes nevertheless starting to shine.

 

Rinoa squealed. She so rarely got to be _really_ girly-girl, between being the only woman in the Forest Owls and having no friends among her 'set', that it never occurred to her how peculiar it was to commiserate over an ex with said ex's ex. Though... It wasn't all fun. Rinoa was morbidly curious to see just how much Quistis and Seifer had done. She was still not quite sure why Seifer had been so attracted to Quistis, and though she knew the girl a bit better now, she just didn't get the appeal. It was something that tickled with Rinoa with curiosity, however, and not jealousy. There was no point in being jealous over someone who had so publicly declared his interest for someone else anyway. Rinoa decided that she needed to adjust her assessment as Seifer liking cougars _sometimes._

 

“So,” asked Rinoa, throwing herself on the now-cleared bed. “Better or worse that you expected? I'm talking about his overall performance.”

 

“Better than,” said Quistis with a certain confidence. She also seemed to enjoy a bit of gossiping.

 

“I know, right? He looks like he'd be really selfish in bed, but he's actually really sweet, isn't he? Very gentlemanly about it...”

 

Quistis nodded, her gaze falling to the floor. It was hard for her to forget how _different_ he'd been in the prison.

 

“ _Though...was that my fault? I kept pushing for more... And even though he was odd, he did keep asking if I was alright... He kept giving me ways to say no... Oh, I wish I hadn't had to do that to him. He was worried about me being drugged, when I should have been the one worried about him being out of his mind... Who really took advantage of who?”_

 

“I wonder what he's doing now,” mused Rinoa, making Quistis blink.

 

“Aside from plotting our eventual destruction?” Quistis asked dryly.

 

“Well, obviously,” said Rinoa flippantly. Quistis scoffed softly at her glib reply. “I bet he's polishing his gunblade.”

 

“Literally or figuratively?”

 

Rinoa burst out laughing, which made Quistis start to laugh too. And as Quistis really laughed, Rinoa thought she saw a flash of the woman that Seifer had been so captivated by; intelligent, warm, and scared to show anybody else.

 

Sort of like Seifer, actually.

 

“ _I guess like calls to like,”_ thought Rinoa. Even Seifer and Quistis's coloration was similar, though there was definitely more red in Seifer's hair and Quistis's eyes were the definition of 'peerless blue'.

 

Meanwhile Quistis looked over Rinoa with a sort of envy that warred with what she knew and liked of the girl. In looks Rinoa was basically the nightmare girl that Quistis always imagined would steal away any man who was ever interested in her, but Quistis knew Rinoa was too nice and openhearted to even entertain such an option. There was a sweetness in her that seemed totally independent of 'well-meaning rich girl naivete' and Quistis couldn't help but be glad she was around. Being handy in battle was a big part of it, but she was also practical when it counted and could be piercingly insightful, if slightly discomfiting.

 

“So what do _you_ do for fun?” Rinoa asked, making Quistis blink. “I asked Squall and he said he has no hobbies. Not exactly like that, but you know what I mean.”

 

“Well, I draw,” said Quistis, which made Rinoa giggle. “Not _that_ all the time. I also like to read in the bath... Ohhh...”

 

“What?”

 

Quistis sighed mournfully. “I have to use the shared bath now... And nobody ever cleans it out after they're done using it. It's essentially up to the cleaning crew, which is...less than thorough.”

 

“Ew,” said Rinoa, wrinkling her nose.

 

“And I can't put my bubbles and things in there,” Quistis sighed again. “It's just not as relaxing in a shower.”

 

Rinoa nodded. Quistis shook her head and looked at Rinoa. “What do you like to do for fun?”

 

“Read,” said Rinoa, making Quistis nod approvingly. “And play with my dog. Hey, I have an idea.”

 

“What?”

 

“Let's check out a book and read it together. And then we can talk about it and stuff.” Rinoa looked at the stacks of books on the floor and her eyes fell on a familiar title. “Oh, you read 'Taciel' too? Did you see the movie?”

 

“No...” said Quistis, her voice growing soft; Rinoa glanced at her and saw the blonde woman looking sad. “It was, um... It was supposed to be our first date.”

 

“Oh...” Rinoa bit her lip, but not entirely out of awkwardness. “You might have dodged a bullet there.”

 

“What?” Quistis stared at her. “Why?”

 

“Seifer's kind of horrible to watch movies with,” said Rinoa with a sigh and a roll of the eyes. “He mutters under his breath and points out _all_ the plotholes he can see. We watched one together when he had a free afternoon and I ended up pausing it about a third of the way through so I could beat him with a pillow.”

 

Quistis thought about Seifer's automatic assumption that all movies were terrible and started laughing softly. “But zombies,” said Quistis, echoing what she'd said to Seifer not long ago.

 

“Oh holy Hyne, you like movies like that?” Rinoa asked, wincing. “I can't _stand_ horror or gore. But I guess it's different for SeeDs.”

 

“It is,” said Quistis with a light smile. “Personally, I find the mindlessness of such movies very soothing. You have a story with a simple goal and even simpler motivations.”

 

“But that's so boring,” Rinoa grumbled. Then her eyes lit up. “Oooh, I know what we could do. Let's watch 'Blank and Marcus versus the Evil'.”

 

“...What?” Quistis blinked rapidly.

 

“No, it'll be great!” Rinoa started bouncing on the bed, looking very excited. “It's a really funny movie but also like the only scary movie I'll ever watch. I'll go see if someone around has a copy. Ooh, and we should make Squall watch it too!”

 

“I don't know if he'll go for that...”

 

“I'll make him do it,” said Rinoa with perfect confidence. “It'll be great. And it'll take his mind off things. I think he's been down...”

 

“I'm not surprised,” said Quistis, folding her arms. “He was in command. And Selphie, Zell, and Irvine haven't reported in yet.”

 

“But that's not his fault,” said Rinoa, which made Quistis shake her head.

 

“Whether it is or isn't, he'll feel that way,” said Quistis, her voice cooling with distant memory. “You always do when you're the squad leader.”

 

“...has that happened to you?” Rinoa asked, seeing Quistis's eyes darken.

 

“Many times,” said Quistis, looking down at the floor. “Eight out of sixty missions ended in failure, which means that everyone died except for me. And fifty-two successful missions had their own body counts too. Sometimes there are accidents, but other times it _is_ the squad leader's fault. And once they acknowledge it, that's when they can improve.”

 

“ _Though I didn't improve enough... I lost my partner on his_ very _first mission, and now...”_

 

“So we should just let him feel like he sent them off to die, then?” Rinoa asked, her voice getting heated.

 

“What?” Quistis looked surprised. Civilians had the weirdest mental jumps. “No. We have no confirmation they're actually dead. The three of them are highly trained operatives. If they're in a position to figure out something, they will. And in the meantime Squall can figure out how to make things go more smoothly next time.”

 

Rinoa relaxed. “So you think we'll see them again?”

 

“I don't know if we will,” said Quistis, her eyes dropping to the floor. “But the destruction of the missile base was not attributed to SeeD, so at the very least we know their bodies weren't discovered. Personally I think they're on the run. And will hopefully rejoin us soon.”

 

Rinoa nodded, a small smile coming up around her lips. “Great! That settles it, they're _definitely_ coming back.”

 

“That's not what I said,” Quistis laughed softly.

 

“Nope, that's what you said!” Rinoa hopped off the bed. “I'm gonna find Squall and the movie. See you back here in about two hours, okay?”

 

Quistis rolled her eyes, a grudging smile tugging on her lips. “Okay. Should I get some snacks?”

 

“Yes! Anything is good. We're gonna make a real movie night of it.”

 

And then she was off in a blue blur. Quistis continued setting up her computers and then went back to rearranging her room. As she moved a stack of books away from the door, she couldn't help but sigh as she looked over the Taciel books.

 

“ _Books help you get into someone's head. If you just look at Taciel from the outside, she's gonna look like a crazy asshole.”_

 

“ _What's going on in your head, Seifer?”_ Quistis thought, touching the books. _“I just don't know... I'm sure it makes sense to you. I'm sure you think you're doing the right thing. I just want to know why it all went so bad so fast. Something that'll make more sense if we ever meet again...”_

 

Quistis took the three books and turned them around so she couldn't see their titles. It was a stupid little thing but these particular books were not going to be any sort of escape with the memories they carried. After a moment's thought, Quistis took them out of the stack and returned them to the library. She did not plan on reading them ever again.

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: 'Dale and Tucker vs. The Evil' is one of my favorite movies, though my extremely low tolerance for any kind of real-life gore limits me from watching it too often.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	8. Chapter 8

22 April 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

“BLEAAAHHHH!”

 

“Huh? What was that?”

 

“ _Oh good, we're alive,”_ thought Selphie as she dragged herself out of the war machine's wreckage. Zell and Irvine were alive too, though Irvine seemed to be partly deaf from the self-destruction of the missile base. A few curative spells later, they were all right as rain. Climbing into the machine had worked out way better than they'd hoped, at least in regards to immediately survival. They were stranded out in the middle of nowhere, or so it seemed until Irvine spotted an investigatory team driving out to inspect the wreckage. When the six-man team arrived an hour later, there was a brief scuffle and a transfer of ownership that left Selphie, Zell, and Irvine in charge of a shiny new vehicle stocked with snacks and a radio that was already tuned to G-Army reports. Listening quietly as they drove, the SeeDs quickly realized that while Trabia Garden was as good as gone, the strike on Balamb Garden had failed and no one was sure what to do. The most valuable piece of information was that Balamb Garden was somehow mobile and had been seen drifting on a southerly course, so the group plotted to drive to Timber and take the unused rail line to Fisherman's Horizon. If the Garden was really mobile and really going south, it would hit the rail line sooner or later.

 

“We should report in,” said Zell as they finished their plans.

 

“Great!” said Selphie. “Call it in.”

 

“But I don't know the number to report in for...” said Zell slowly, frowning.

 

“Well, I don't know,” said Selphie, throwing up her hands. “I just transferred.”

 

“And the only one I know is G-Garden, which is exactly where we don't want to be...” said Irvine.

 

So they drove, taking turns in shifts so they could travel nonstop. There was enough extra fuel in the boot of the stolen vehicle that they never really needed to pull over for anything aside from nature, and three days later they found themselves at the transcontinental rail bridge at Timber. Since Zell and Selphie were unable to access their SeeD salary (they hadn't been paid yet), Irvine used his Galbadian Army pay to put them up in a room for the night. It was a risk, but none of them had cash and Irvine figured that since he was still technically part of the army, no one would think anything strange about a military ID being used in an occupied territory. Selphie also took Irvine's card when she went out around town for reconaissance; Zell's facial tattoo and Irvine's long hair were too distinctive, whereas Selphie could make herself appear anywhere from fifteen to twenty-five just by changing her stride and the pitch of her voice. While out and about, Selphie also picked up gyros and drinks and came back to the inn to find Irvine and Zell sitting around in towels.

 

“What—” She squeaked, staring.

 

“They do laundry service here,” said Zell. His face was not the only part of him that had tattoos. What looked like a larger, more elaborate version went down Zell's left side and disappeared past the boundary of the towel, making Selphie wonder just how far it went. The specific placement of the side tattoo seemed to emphasize Zell's toughness in a way that his face tattoo did not, and as Selphie blushed, Zell obliviously said, “You should get your stuff washed too. We'll be here for at least a night.”

 

“Yep,” said Irvine, stretched out along one of the room's two beds. His eyes were closed and his still damp hair was fanned out around his head to dry, but what drew Selphie's attention were the long, lean lines of his body as he inhaled deeply and laced his fingers underneath his head. He was a _very_ good looking boy.

 

“I'll probably do that,” said Selphie, trying not to grin like an idiot. Thank heaven for eye candy! “But first, food and information. Nobody's seen the Garden yet, so I don't think we've missed them. But we need to be careful. Apparently the G-Army has the same idea we do, so we'll be dodging patrols all along the line to FH.”

 

“Maybe we can use the uniform trick again,” said Zell, but Irvine was already shaking his head as he sat up. Seeing him move around in just a towel made Selphie's knees turn to water a little and she gave herself a hard mental shake. There was nothing wrong with a little ogling, but it wouldn't do to get really distracted.

 

“We barely got away with it on the missile base,” said Irvine, making Zell sigh at the memory of all their close calls. “Besides, Selphie is way too short to pass for military for long. We'll just have to be careful.”

 

“Yeah, yeah... So, food!” Selphie had to laugh as Zell's face brightened up. “What'd you get?”

 

“Gyros and some other stuff,” said Selphie, putting the bags of food down onto the room's single small table. There were only two chairs, so Zell dragged the table away from the wall so he could eat sitting on the bed while Selphie and Irvine sat across from each other. There was no dinner conversation unless one counted Irvine laughing when Zell nearly choked from inhaling his food. Afterwards, the boys cleaned up while Selphie took a shower and later set her clothes out in the hall for the laundry service to take. As she washed her hair, she wondered what would happen next.

 

“ _Assuming we meet up with everyone, I think I'd like to check on Trabia Garden... I know it won't be good, but I can't not look. Not after everything the Garden did for me...”_

 

Selphie's parents were doctors, but they were not rich. After realizing that their smart little girl had a talent for magic, they sent her to Trabia Garden where she would always be warm, fed, and protected. She saw them multiple times a year and never stopped loving them, but after a certain point Selphie understood who it actually was that raised her and molded her into the young woman she was now.

 

“My Trabia Garden...”Selphie whispered to herself as she closed her eyes. She put her head directly under the hot spray and took deep, calming breaths. Now that the boys weren't around, she could breathe for the first time in a long time and with air came tears. Selphie let the tears fall as she distantly heard Irvine and Zell fighting over the remote, and even past their noises, heard the shriek and boom of the missile base exploding. They had come so close to dying...

 

...and so many at Trabia Garden had not been that lucky. She just knew it.

 

By the time Selphie came out of the shower, the bright smile was back on her face and she even laughed when Irvine found an old comedy on TV they could all agree on. Later that night, with the boys asleep in one bed and herself in the other, Selphie buried her face in her pillow and drifted off to sleep on waves of exhausted, silent tears.

 

/\/\/\

 

“Very good,” said Asano Kadowaki as she looked over Quistis's blood results. “All the drugs are completely out of your system now, so you should stop having intermittent memory loss.”

 

“Thank goodness,” said Quistis with a sigh; the vigorous injections plus stress and para-magic had extended the half-lives of the drugs to days instead of hours, and she was finally feeling normal a solid week after escaping the prison.

 

“I would still recommend a psychological evaluation,” said Asano, making Quistis sigh. “You've been through a lot of stress with a failed mission, capture, interrogation...”

 

“I'm fine,” said Quistis, shaking her head. “I know it's been an odd few weeks, but I'm honestly fine.”

 

“Why do you say that?”

 

“Well...” Quistis floundered.

 

“I knew it, you're saying that just so people leave you alone.” As Quistis flushed, Asano shook her finger at the younger woman and said, “You have people who care about you and want you to do well. Depend on us more.”

 

“Yes, yes,” Quistis said, managing to sound only a little annoyed. She opened her mouth to say something else but just then, the infirmary door opened and one of the hooded faculty members came in.

 

“There you are,” said the faculty member, sounding annoyed. Ever since meeting Zama in the flesh, Quistis couldn't help but wonder if all the robed faculty were nonhuman like him. “Dean Zama wishes to see you in his office.”

 

“In regards to what?” Quistis asked with a frown.

 

“I don't know. But don't keep him waiting.”

 

So Quistis went. To her surprise, Squall and Rinoa were also in Zama's office when she arrived. Like Cid's office and Xu's office, Zama's had massive windows that went from floor to the ceiling and now showed panoramic ocean views. But the décor was somehow more homey, which was not what Quistis had expected from someone who had asked such pointed questions during her debriefing. Like when he'd talked to Quistis privately, Zama did not wear his obscuring headdress and Quistis wondered if Squall or (more likely) Rinoa had been surprised by his unusual features.

 

“Please sit,” said Dean Zama, gesturing with one long hand. As Quistis took a chair between Squall and Rinoa, he laced his fingers together and said, “I know you've delivered your reports to Cid and Xu, but I have some particular questions of my own for the Master.”

 

“The... Master?” Squall asked with a frown.

 

“The Garden Master,” said Dean Zama. “The head financier of all the Gardens.”

 

Squall and Quistis exchanged looks. “I thought that's what our missions did...” said Quistis slowly, looking at Zama. “They supported the Garden.”

 

“To an extent,” said Zama. “They also go to repaying the massive loan that the Kramers took out to build the Gardens in the first place.”

 

“The Kramers?” Squall repeated, his frown deepening.

 

“Cid and his wife,” said Zama.

 

“ _The Headmaster is married?”_ Quistis thought, surprised. _“I wonder where his wife is, then... Or why he never talks about her.”_

 

“In any case, it is my understanding that you decided to assassinate the Sorceress based on a mission file from both Balamb and Galbadia Gardens,” said Zama, looking at Squall. “Is that correct?”

 

Squall nodded. “Headmaster Martine said as much himself.”

 

“But you never confirmed this with Balamb Garden,” said Zama to Squall, making Quistis look at the nonhuman man sharply. “Is that also correct?”

 

“I... I wasn't aware...” Squall seemed confused.

 

“I'm sorry, Dean Zama,” Quistis interrupted. As Zama looked at her, she asked, “I saw the mission file myself and it looked exactly like a normal joint-operation request. Are you telling us that Balamb Garden actually had nothing to do with the order?”

 

“I find it unlikely that Balamb Garden, or rather, Cid made any such request,” said Zama dryly. “Considering that the Sorceress's full name is Edea Kramer.”

 

“Edea _Kramer?”_ Rinoa asked, eyes widening. “As in... Headmaster _Cid Kramer's wife?”_

 

“That is correct.” As the three of them reeled, Zama said, “Cid Kramer is many things, but he does not hate his wife so much that he wants her dead. They have maintained a cordial long-distance relationship for years.”

 

“So...” Quistis touched her hand to her head, which seemed to ache all of a sudden. “Headmaster Martine lied to us, then?”

 

“That is what I am trying to determine,” said Zama. “The Master and the Sorceress had an agreement that Galbadia Garden was to be used as her mobile base of operations. Martine appeared to agree, but this assassination order indicates otherwise.”

 

“But why would he do that?” Squall asked, confused. “What good comes of dragging Balamb Garden into a Galbadia Garden problem?”

 

“It is not my place to speculate upon either the Garden Master's or Martine's motivations,” Zama sighed, sounding tired. “My only goal is to determine if you knew the order was fabricated, which you did not.”

 

“Definitely not,” said Rinoa, shaking her head.

 

“If you knew it were false, would you have proceeded?” Zama asked, looking at the group.

 

“Well...” Quistis looked at Squall, who shrugged. “Technically I was still under contract with Martine, so _I_ would have definitely gone forward no matter what. Perhaps he roped everybody else in with a false order for a greater chance of success.”

 

“He made it sound like he was worried about Edea trying to take over the world,” Rinoa mused. “But he was really just covering his butt, huh?”

 

Squall's expression indicated that he'd thought essentially the same thing.

 

Something unpleasant occurred to Quistis. If Martine had just followed orders from the Garden Master to hand over G-Garden, then there would never have been a botched assassination. And Seifer...

 

“ _It's Martine's fault this happened to Seifer... It's Martine's fault that we have to fight him now...”_

 

“What's to become of us?” Squall asked Zama. “Are we likely to face any problems from this Garden Master for following false orders?”

 

“No,” said Zama so firmly that the three humans looked at him in surprise. “The Garden Master holds the purse strings to an extent, but _I_ am the Dean of Students of Balamb Garden. And as Garden Wards remain juveniles until they are twenty—yes, even SeeDs are included in this—you are _my_ responsibility.”

 

“So are we likely to face problems from you?” Squall asked Zama, making Quistis and Rinoa look at him in surprise. The brunet boy's eyes were shrewd. Zama simply looked back at him for a long moment before sighing.

 

“No,” he said. “You are not. And I will tell you why.

 

“The Garden Master has recommended that we turn you over to the Sorceress in order to appease her wrath, but considering how easily motivated she was to destroy the Gardens, I do not believe that anything would be gained or protected by sacrificing your lives. And indeed, were she to grow even more powerful and directly threaten us, then our forces would be reduced by three SeeDs who know her capabilities and have survived direct combat with her. I am not willing to weaken Balamb Garden in such a way.”

 

Squall nodded while Quistis felt a surge of affection for Zama's peculiar being.

 

“One more thing,” said Zama, leaning forward on his desk. “Seifer Almasy. He has thrown his lot in with Sorceress Edea, yes?”

 

“Yes,” said Squall, his eyes hard.

 

“Capture him if you can,” said Zama, making the humans stare at him. “He could have important intelligence. Besides, he is also a ward of Balamb Garden.”

 

“And you still consider him your responsibility?” Quistis asked, amazed. “After everything?”

 

“Of course,” said Zama. “He is only eighteen.”

 

“We'll try to capture him if we can,” said Squall, making Quistis and Rinoa look at him in surprise. “We'd prefer not to kill him too. But...”

 

“Do what you must,” said Zama, his voice calm. “It is better to lose one child rather than six.”

 

The talk was done with after that, and leaving Rinoa and Quistis to do whatever it was they did when they spent time together, Squall went in search of Cid. He found the man in his office and asked for a word, which Cid immediately granted.

 

“Dean Zama told me that Sorceress Edea is your wife,” said Squall bluntly, making Cid blink. “Is that true?”

 

“Yes,” said Cid. The bottom seemed to fall out of Squall's stomach, but he nodded curtly and asked another question.

 

“Did you ever issue an order for us to kill her?” He demanded. At that, Cid's round, jovial face seemed to crumple.

 

“Sit down, Squall,” said Cid, sitting in his own chair. Squall pulled up a chair from the side of the room and sat down, leaning forward on his knees. Cid took a moment to clean his glasses, his face unhappy.

 

“I've known Edea since we were children,” said Cid for no apparent reason. “She is the kindest, most wonderful, most openhearted person you will ever know. And I always knew she was a sorceress. It never bothered me. But oh, it bothered her. She was just powerful enough for people to know what she was, and when Adel came to power, people started treating her differently. It hurt her. So we... We made a new life. And we were very happy.

 

“But Edea always worried that she would change one day. No matter how often I told her that nothing of the sort would happen, she was terrified that one day she would become evil like Adel and so she began talking about the Gardens. Yes, these very Gardens. They were her idea. I'll admit I was initially very enthusiastic, because... Well, if you had seen the devastation that Adel was responsible for, you'd do anything to stop it from happening again too. So we traveled, took out loans, built these places, all for the goal of one day... Killing the Sorceress.”

 

Cid's eyes started to well up. Squall found himself half-reaching for the kind, paternal old man as tears rolled down his face.

 

“I never thought it would come to this,” said Cid, his voice cracking. “But Edea... This was always what she had feared she'd become.” The corner of his mouth twisted slightly. “So to answer your question, Squall...”

 

“Don't tell me,” said Squall, holding up his hands. “I don't really need to know.”

 

“ _Seeing how much this hurts you don't change what we have to do.”_

 

“I'm sorry,” they both said at the same time.

 

“I didn't mean to bring up bad memories,” said Squall awkwardly.

 

“I'm sorry that this has become your mess,” said Cid softly.

 

Knocking on the door made both of them turn to see Xu walking in. “We have a situation,” she said to Cid. Cid put his glasses back on and if Xu noticed the tears, she didn't say a thing about them. “There's a boat outside.”

 

“A boat?” Cid asked, blinking. “Ah... How large of a boat?”

 

“About two hundred feet.”

 

“What color?”

 

“Mostly white,” said Xu, now frowning. Cid got to his feet.

 

“They're friends,” he said. “And I think I know why they are here... Squall, could you do me a favor?”

 

“ _What is it now?”_ Squall thought as he stood. “Yes, Headmaster?”

 

“There's a young woman in the Garden named Ellone,” said Cid, watching his face carefully. “I need you to find her and bring to her where the boat is. Xu?”

 

“They're docked outside the 2F balcony,” said Xu, looking at Cid strangely.

 

“Ellone...” Squall repeated, his eyes widening. “Her name is... Ellone?”

 

“Yes,” said Cid, his gaze searching.

 

“ _That can't be right...”_ thought Squall, bewildered. _“Ellone only exists in the dream world, doesn't she? But wait... Zell was able to use knowledge from the dream world in_ this _world, so doesn't that mean we're connected more than we thought?_

 

“ _Ellone... She must not be a little girl any more. I would have remembered seeing that young of a child in the Garden.”_

 

“I'll find her,” said Squall. For some reason Cid sighed and nodded. As Squall left the office, he thought, _“And when I do, I'm going to ask her some questions of my own...”_

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: Selphie's 'thank heaven for eye candy' moment is up: http://klepto-maniac0.tumblr.com/post/117101299372/finally-it-posts-god-might-redo-this-one-soon-i?is_related_post=1

 

I always thought NORG was the most ridiculous, pointless, WTF-where-did-you-come-from boss in the game, so that's why Zama is in a more expository role. Norg still exists, just not right now. I've also always had questions about how the missile base team evaded detection for so long when the machine was still in command of the Galbadian army, so there's that change too.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	9. Chapter 9

24 April 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

  
  


“ _Martine's fault... It's_ Martine's _fault that we lost Seifer...”_

 

The thought kept running through her head as Quistis cut her way through the training center, trying to work out her frustration by slashing Grats to green goo. It wasn't working. The Grats were too easy to dispatch at her current skill level and anyway, fighting them reminded her of going through here with Seifer, on that first awkward meeting when they'd both realized they were attracted to each other. It had only been a month ago.

 

“ _One month ago... It feels like such a long time. Oh, I hate this! It's not fair that I can think of him as a jerk for literally every day I've known him up until the last month, and now here I am, destroying Grats because I can't kill the one who took him away from me..._

 

“ _I need to get over it._ Get over it _. Deal with reality. Seifer is_ never _coming back. If he does, great. What a pleasant surprise. But I can't keep waiting for something to work out... More than likely it won't, and my hope will get others killed.”_

 

But every swing and slash of her whip made the silver necklace thump against her collarbone, making her wonder how Seifer managed to fight with such an irritating distraction. Impatiently Quistis stuffed it underneath the high collar of her battle dress and continued to fight until all the Grats in the area were cleared out. When she looked around, she sighed heavily when she recognized the tree where she and Seifer had hidden long ago, stifling giggles as Grats chased Xu and a temporary lover through the training center.

 

“ _I hate this! I hate feeling like this! I hate that I miss him so much!”_ Her eye fell on an unoffending rock and with no one around to witness her pique, Quistis kicked it as hard as she could. It went shooting off like a bullet, which was very satisfying until Quistis caught a flicker of motion in its trajectory and realized someone was going to walk into its path. Quistis nearly yelped in shock, but fortunately that person had good reflexes; she ducked and the rock sailed harmlessly through the space her head would have been in.

 

“ _Oh great! Now you're so out of control that you're hurting innocent bystanders! Wonderful, Quistis! Just wonderful!”_ Her brain continued to heap abuse on her as Quistis jogged across the area, her heart fluttering with panic. 

 

“Are you okay?” Quistis asked the person, who was a young woman with dark hair, wearing a blue shirt and a long white midi skirt. A green shawl was wrapped loosely around her arms.

 

“Oh, I'm fine,” said the woman, who smiled at her. “Thanks for asking. Good throw.”

 

“Oh... Thank you,” said Quistis awkwardly.

 

“You look like you've been here a while,” said the woman, eyeing the Grat slime on her whip and streaking Quistis's clothes.

 

“Just needed some exercise,” said Quistis lamely, looking down at herself. “What about you?”

 

“Same,” said the woman, which made Quistis look at her strangely.

 

“Where's your weapon?” Quistis asked, looking her over.

 

“Right here,” said the woman, touching her green shawl. “It's a bit complicated, but don't worry; I'm fine. Still... Do you want to walk for a while? You look like you have something on your mind.”

 

Quistis hesitated. She wasn't the sort to pour her heart out to strangers, but she had her doubts about the woman's green shawl and besides, thinking alone by herself wasn't solving anything.

 

“Okay,” said Quistis, making the woman smile. “Let's walk. Stay close to me, okay?”

 

“Okay.”

 

So they walked for a while. Quistis immediately saw that the woman with the green shawl was some sort of naturally gifted mage who was able to cast status enchantments with dance-like movements of her shawl—lovely and useful, but ultimately not as deadly as they needed. However, it was much easier to clean up after Grats who were stumbling around blind, spinning in circles, or otherwise incapacitated. The woman's willingness to walk in silence was very reassuring, and gradually Quistis felt herself relaxing. There was something comforting about her presence that seemed to tickle the edges of her mind.

 

“Hey...” Quistis said softly.

 

“Yes?” The woman's voice was very comforting and wise-sounding.

 

Quistis swallowed. “...Have you ever been in love?”

 

The woman paused a bit. Then she turned, a gentle smile on her face. “Yes.”

 

“What do you do when it hurts?” Quistis asked, making a flicker go over the woman's eyes.

 

“When it hurts, hmm... Well, I would wonder about why it hurts. Is the love hurting you or the lack of it?”

 

“...the lack? I think...” Quistis sighed heavily, looking down at the ground. “He's changed so much. I don't think he's the same person I fell in love with at all...”

 

“Sometimes that happens,” said the woman, and Quistis had to bite back the automatic need to explain the context. That would be giving up too much.

 

Meanwhile the woman said, “But you know... In all likelihood, you're not the same person either.”

 

Quistis stopped, her eyes widening. “...What?”

 

“People change over time,” said the woman, lacing her hands together in front of her. “As do their needs. It could be that your need for each other has passed and that is why it feel different.”

 

“No, it's, um...” Quistis struggled to explain without _explaining._ “It was really sudden. Just an overnight change. And I'm really confused, because if he can change so quickly one way, couldn't he come back just as fast?”

 

Now the woman's head lifted, her eyes darkening. “...You hope they can,” she said, her voice becoming lower and more serious. “But sometimes the darkness that consumes them... There's nothing you can do. And realizing your helplessness is what hurts the most. Your love remains the same, but sometimes, well... As much as we want to believe otherwise, there are times when love is not enough.”

 

“Then what is?” Quistis asked, hating how pathetic she sounded.

 

“Hmm...” The woman tapped her cheek. “I'd say... Love. With hope. And persistence.”

 

“What?”

 

“It's like growing a tree. Love is the seed. Hope is the water. And persistence is sunlight.” And the woman smiled. “And only time will tell what sort of fruit you end up with. Just make sure you don't grow something too bitter to eat. Or poisonous.”

 

Quistis was not in the mood for metaphors and as she tried to come up with something nice to say about the 'pearls of wisdom' the older woman was dropping, she heard a crunching at her back. When Quistis turned, it was Squall and he was looking at the woman.

 

“...Ellone?” He asked, making Quistis jump and then stare at the woman.

 

“Hello again, Squall,” said the woman, smiling. She inclined her head at Quistis too, saying, “And Quisty.”

 

“ _Quisty.”_ Nobody called her Quisty, but it sounded so familiar for some reason...

 

“Are you _that_ Ellone?” Squall insisted, making Quistis look at him in confusion. “Dream world Ellone?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“So you know Laguna?”

 

Quistis jumped. Their adventures in the dream world were something Quistis had thought of as mass hallucination, though Zell being able to use dream world knowledge to unlock the armory had rattled her a bit... Still.

 

Ellone nodded, that gentle smile touching her face again. “Yes. Uncle Laguna. I know him very well... Or I did, at one point in time. It's been many years since...”

 

“What's happening to us?” Squall demanded, his eyes flashing. “Do you know?”

 

Ellone looked at him for a long time before sighing and shaking her head slightly. “It's very hard to explain... But I can tell you this. It's about changing the past.”

 

“What?” Quistis exclaimed, thunderstruck.

 

“Or at least... Seeing if it could be done.” Ellone smiled sadly. “Sorry, Squall. Quisty. I sort of pulled you along to see if I could... But it doesn't matter anymore. I can't do what I... What I _wanted_ to do. I'm so sorry.”

 

“Why us?” Squall demanded. He sounded more distressed than Quistis had ever heard him, making her look at him in surprise. “Out of everyone in the world, why us?”

 

“Because...” Ellone sighed heavily.

 

More footsteps heralded another visitor, but this time it was Xu. “Squall, did you find—oh. Ellone?”

 

“That's me,” said Ellone with a nod.

 

“The White SeeDs are here,” said Xu, making Ellone nod in understanding. “So I guess you're going home, then.”

 

“Ah... Yes. Well, it's been a nice visit,” said Ellone, looking around and then smiling a little at Quistis and Squall. “Quisty, remember what I said.”

 

“Huh? Oh...”

 

And Ellone walked up to Squall, putting her hands on his shoulders. He stared at her, practically trembling with unknown questions, and jerked when she hugged him. Quistis saw her whisper something in Squall's ear before she let go and walked off with Xu, who looked at the three of them very strangely.

 

“What did she say to you?” Quistis asked Squall, who was staring at the ground with his hands clenched.

 

“ 'You're my last hope'...” He lifted his head, looking at Quistis in confusion. “I don't know what that means. Why... Why is she depending on me? I don't get it... I don't get...”

 

“Squall!”

 

Squall glanced over his shoulder as Rinoa came trotting up, Angelo panting at her heels.

 

“There you are,” she said, smiling. But the smile fell off her face at once as she looked him up and down, and as concern darkened her eyes, she asked, “What's wrong?”

 

“Nothing,” said Squall, folding his arms. When Rinoa looked at Quistis for answers, the blonde woman shook her head.

 

“It's... Complicated,” she said, sighing heavily. “I think I'm going to take a shower and then turn in early.”

 

“ _Ellone is real, which means Laguna and Kiros and Ward are all real too... And she wants to change the past... Why? Can she really? No, she said she couldn't._

 

“ _If she could... Could she help Seifer? Make it so he doesn't... Leave?”_

 

Quistis shoved away the glimmering pipe dream before it could turn into obsession. The past was gone in more ways than one; there was no way to really hold onto it except with memory, which could be fallible and false. Still, when Quistis went back to her room, she abruptly remembered who it had used to belong to and had to stifle the cry of memory that came over her.

 

“ _Of all the rooms I could be put in,_ this _one...”_

 

She could almost see the ghost of Seifer in this room, stretched out along the bed, reading or smirking at something Fujin or Raijin was saying. She remembered the piles of clothing on the floor the night of the SeeD Ball when she'd decided to really trust him for the first time, and how Seifer had not abused that. But what made Quistis start to tear up was the memory of Seifer coming into the room the morning after she'd given him her virginity, a duffel in his hand and his pockets filled with breakfast food so she wouldn't have to be seen in the same clothes she'd worn last night...

 

“ _I miss him so much.”_

 

Pathetic. Stupid. Waste of time. He wasn't coming back.

 

It was best to keep moving. Quistis picked up her bath basket and a towel and went to the communal showers. She had them to herself at this time of day, which made her feel justified in turning the water on nearly full hot and then just standing under the spray as her skin turned red. Grat slime was not hard to wash off, just annoying, and most of it came off with simple water. But it did stink, especially if any got in her hair, and Quistis spent the majority of the shower lathering and rinsing her hair out to make sure nothing of the noxious slime remained, the loud spatter of water covering up her shaky breathing. As she shampooed her hair, her fingers caught on the chain of the silver necklace Seifer had once worn and she sighed. A physical reminder of his absence was definitely not going to help her stop obsessing over him... How long was she going to be haunted by this?

 

“ _It was mostly lust, wasn't it? Maybe I just need to have sex with someone else,”_ she thought as she rinsed her hair and dried off. Going back to her room, she briefly ran through a list of people she might be comfortable having sex with and found it to be utterly empty. Sex wasn't just biology to her anymore and the idea of doing that without trust and affection... Well, it made her stomach turn. And even if Quistis did have a full list, another problem was that the Trepies were still around and watching her every move...

 

“ _Seifer wouldn't have cared.”_

 

With a soft scoff, Quistis realized that she'd inadvertently fallen for the one man who did not give two shits about the stalkerish, occasionally scary attentions of her fanclub and would probably send them running for the hills if they gave her any grief about her personal decisions. And then afterwards...

 

“ _I will fuck every single bad feeling out of you. And trust me, I'll be happy to do it.”_

 

Well, as long as she was feeling pathetic, she might as well go all the way. Quistis locked the door and hung her towel on the hook on the back of it. She walked over to the bed and lay down, exhaling deeply.

 

“Please,” she breathed, closing her eyes and letting her hands drift down her body, trying to tease herself the way she remembered being touched. Quistis strained for the feeling of a kiss that stole her breath and objections, licking her lips as she tried to savor every nuance of a taste she kept dreaming about. Her hands seemed too small and slender for the touch she craved and Quistis whined as the pressure built but did not peak. She was desperate for more. She ached for the feeling of a lover's skin gliding against hers, the pressure and heat and solidity of his body, the way they fit and moved together. She wanted to hear his soft groans and pants as he tangled his fingers in her hair and lost himself in the glory of their union. She wanted to feel the utter physicality of penetration that made her body shockwave with pleasure. “Oh, Seifer...”

 

“ _Quistis.”_ She could almost hear him. 

 

Desperately Quistis tried to bring up every memory of every time they'd ever been together. The soft warmth of his sea-green eyes right before he kissed her. How he'd always cup her face in his hands. The adoring appreciation he had for her unbound hair, how willing he'd always been to pleasure and tease and make her crave him with every fiber of her being...

 

How Seifer smiled at her with fondness and no malice. How cute he was when he blushed and how his eyes would bore into some point off to the side when he felt really awkward. How he asked so softly and carefully if it was alright to touch her and kiss her... How much he cared.

 

“ _Love you.”_

 

Quistis just barely managed to keep his name behind her lips when she came, shuddering and shaking almost as much as she did when he was with her. Lying in this particular bed made her feel a little less alone, and as Quistis pulled the sheets up to go to sleep, she pretended that the late afternoon light was really dawn, and Seifer had just stepped out to get them both something to eat... But it was hard to maintain when the bed was so cold.

 

“ _I need to move on. I'll_ make _myself move on. And someday I'll be fine. He's not the only man out there. Regardless of how things are now... They were really wonderful back then. I'll hold onto that. But I won't cling to it, I can't. Just remember the good parts... And take the rest a day at a time.”_

 

/\/\/\

 

“Sorry, Irvine.”

 

“Don't bother me none. Though I can't say this is how I imagined you putting your legs around my waist.”

 

Irvine could hear Selphie's annoyed squeak, but wasn't exactly in a position to look at her. He and Zell were underneath the transcontinental railway, jumping and climbing from truss to truss to avoid the notice of the Galbadian soldiers that were running on top of the rail proper. Unfortunately, Selphie wasn't able to boost her strength yet, so after some discussion Irvine and Zell had taken turns carrying Selphie on their backs while they navigated the distance with superhuman leaps. They were very close to Fisherman's Horizon now and Irvine exhaled in relief when he saw Zell make the final jump and land on the town itself. He sucked his breath over his teeth when Zell windmilled for a terrifying second, nearly pitching over backwards, but a catlike flip resettled Zell's balance and he turned and waved, grinning.

 

“Ready, Selphie?” asked Irvine, crouching.

 

“Ready,” said Selphie, tightening her grip.

 

“ _I'd better get ready to throw her if I miss,”_ thought Irvine, judging the distance. If Zell, with his naturally powerful legs and lack of passenger, had just barely made it, things might not go well for Irvine. He hoped they would since he wasn't exactly a slouch himself, but just in case...

 

Irvine took a deep breath and jumped as hard as he could.

 

It was the closest thing anybody got to flying, but the enjoyment of sailing effortlessly through the air had worn off with the first hideous jarring shock of landing, and Irvine's legs were close to numb now that he had been leaping like this for several hours. The added threat of death of smashing into the diamond-hard sea kept enough adrenaline in his veins that he still had control over his muscles, but his heart rate always ramped up when he carried Selphie. It was one thing to die because he didn't judge things right, but to kill her with his bad judgment? No. Unacceptable.

 

“ _Shit,”_ thought Irvine as he reached the apex of his jump. It was not far enough. They were going to die. Irvine let go of Selphie's legs and got ready to reach around to throw her.

 

“Float!” Selphie shouted in his ear. Irvine had no idea why she was screaming random words, but a second later a feeling of utter weightlessness came over him and Irvine glanced down to see white wings of pure magic fanning around his ankles. The momentum from his jump effortlessly carried him an additional thirty feet before the magic wore off and gravity reasserted itself, but by then the danger had passed and Irvine made it onto FH easily.

 

“Nice cast!” said Zell as Irvine landed. As Selphie slid down off his back, Zell gave her a high five. “How come you didn't do that for me?”

 

“I didn't get the idea until you almost fell off,” she said.

 

“Hey! You!”

 

“Aw damn it,” Irvine groaned as two Galbadian soldiers spotted them from the rail line and started to give chase. “Let's move!”

 

“Go for the Garden,” said Selphie, starting to run. The boys followed, wincing as their abused legs took even more damage. “We can get backup there!”

 

Running up rattling metal stairs and dodging patrols, they made their way to the top of FH and towards the long bridge that extended out toward the Garden. As they fled, Selphie suddenly skidded to a stop nearly on her heels and whipped around, her eyes widening.

 

“Hey!” She exclaimed to the boys, who took the chance to catch their breath. “Do you hear that?”

 

“Hear what?” Zell asked, looking at her helplessly.

 

“That!” She pointed in the direction of a distinctive booming noise. “That noise! It's Squall's gunblade, I'm sure of it!”

 

Zell and Irvine looked at each other.

 

“We don't even know if we can get in,” said Irvine to him.

 

“And they might be in trouble,” Zell agreed.

 

So they changed directions. Following the sounds of combat, Selphie, Zell, and Irvine found Squall, Quistis, and Rinoa fighting a group of seven Galbadian soldiers. Rinoa kept to the back, firing her blaster edge as fast as she could and chucking spells in the meantime, while Squall directly engaged the enemy and Quistis carved off soldiers from around the edges of the group, keeping them simultaneously packed in one place and also away from her and Rinoa.

 

“Let's say hey,” said Zell, punching his fists together.

 

They leapt down on the soldiers from above. With three additional combat specialists, the battle was over in less than ten seconds. And then the reunification began. Rinoa and Selphie charged at each other like runaway trains and hugged with wild shrieking, jumping up and down in a tight little circle. Squall heaved a sigh of relief and then grunted as Zell grabbed him and picked him up off the floor in a bear hug. Irvine tipped his hat to Quistis in a mannerly way and she curstied back in the same spirit before they both burst out laughing.

 

“Friends of yours?” asked an elderly, peeved voice. Squall tamped down his sigh of irritation and turned to look at Mayor Dobe, the leader of Fisherman's Horizon. Saving his pacifist hide was the reason they'd been fighting in the first place.

 

“Yes, they are,” said Squall, unaware that behind him, everyone was looking at him with varying degrees of shock.

 

Mayor Dobe's mouth twisted. “Well,” he said to the mercenaries. “I suppose you saved my life. But I won't thank you.”

 

“We didn't do it for thanks,” said Squall, making Mayor Dobe look even more sour. “Or even to guilt you into repairing our Garden. Look, I wish you could be more understanding about us. We're not just mindless warmongers. ”

 

“You're not,” said Mayor Dobe, shaking his head. “You're something worse and something much sadder. You think you're mercenaries? I see child soldiers. You should be scheduling classes, not ending lives!”

 

“Mayor Dobe,” said Squall firmly, his eyes narrowing. “I understand that you have an issue with our way of life, but it's the way of life that lets us live.” He gestured at himself and the group, saying, “All of us are orphans from the war that _your_ generation started. We had to stand up and take care of ourselves. But we're not complaining. We're alive and we've made a place for ourselves. If you can't understand anything else about us, understand _that._ We are proud to be here, and I'll thank you to respect that.”

 

And Squall held the old man's judgmental gaze until Major Dobe looked away. Without a word the whitehaired man walked away, leaving Squall slowly unclenching his hands.

 

“Wow,” said Selphie softly, making Squall glance at her. “That was...really cool.”

 

“Yeah,” said Irvine, eyes wide with respect.

 

“That's the most words I've ever heard you say,” said Zell, which cracked the mood just enough that Rinoa started giggling. And once Rinoa was laughing, it wasn't long before everyone else was laughing too.

 

Quistis just smiled at Squall, so proud that she felt like bursting. This was a far cry from less than a month ago, when Squall wouldn't say anything to anybody. She wasn't sure if it was the teacher or the big sister figure inside her who was happy that he was finally opening up.

 

They walked back to the Garden after that and it didn't escape Quistis's notice that Rinoa drifted back to talk with Squall, a new appreciation for him in her eyes. It also made her smile to see when that Squall met Rinoa's gaze, his near permanent look of wariness softened until he actually looked his age instead of the hardened man he kept trying to be.

 

“So why were the Galbadians in FH?” Selphie asked Quistis, pulling her focus.

 

“They were looking for a girl named Ellone,” said Quistis, making Irvine, Zell, and Selphie all stare.

 

“Ellone?” Zell repeated, his brows shooting up. “Dream world Ellone?”

 

“Yes,” said Quistis, nodding. “She's real. And she's not a little girl anymore. She's, oh... I'd say about mid-twenties.”

 

“You've seen her?” Irvine asked, stunned.

 

“She's actually been in Balamb Garden this entire time,” said Quistis, making the others stare.

 

“Did she say what's been happening to us?” Selphie asked, running up lightly to be at Quistis's side. “Like, does she know why we all dream stuff?”

 

“It's her doing,” said Quistis, making their stares become even rounder. “She's somehow able to send us into the past.”

 

“The past!” Irvine exclaimed. Scratching his head, he asked, “Why?”

 

“She told Squall there was something she wanted to change...” said Quistis, unconsciously glancing back at the brunet SeeD and Rinoa. They were still talking about something, their steps gradually pulling them closer together. “She said that he was her last hope.”

 

“Her last hope?” Zell repeated. “For what?”

 

Quistis folded her arms. “I have no idea. Personally I'm glad to know we're not all going insane.”

 

“I wonder where Sir Laguna and Kiros and Ward are, though,” Selphie mused. “Because if Ellone's around, they should be too, right? They weren't _that_ old.”

 

Quistis did some mental calculations. “They should be around forty now... Definitely alive as long as they haven't met with misfortune.”

 

“Maybe we'll get a clue with the next trip to the dream world,” mused Zell.

 

“We might not be going back,” said Squall from behind them, making the group turn. “Ellone told me that she wanted to change the past... But that she'd learned it wasn't possible.”

 

“Hmm, I guess that makes sense,” said Zell, scratching his head. “If the past changed, the present wouldn't be the same, right?”

 

“But we might not even know,” said Selphie, her eyes darkening with thought. “What if we're living in a changed present already?”

 

Irvine shook his head. “If it were changed, she wouldn't be trying to change it again, would she?”

 

“Oh... I guess not.”

 

“So what's the plan from here?” Zell asked, drifting back to walk with Squall and Rinoa. “Protect Ellone from the Galbadians?”

 

“Ellone is out of our hands now,” said Squall. Gesturing vaguely at the sea, he said, “A ship came and took her somewhere. I have no idea what we'll do next, but we'll talk to Cid and see what he says. He's still the Headmaster... And the one who knows most about the situation.”

 

“Speaking of which, we found out that Sorceress Edea and Headmaster Cid are married,” said Rinoa, making the three recently reunited SeeDs yell in shock. “According to the Dean of Students, they've been in a long-distance relationship for over ten years.”

 

“Why?” Selphie sounded horrified.

 

“There must have been a reason they couldn't have been together...” said Irvine, unconsciously glancing at Selphie.

 

“Headmaster Cid said that Edea was the nicest person he knew,” said Squall, making everyone stare at him. He nodded in slight annoyance, rubbing the shoulder he'd been stabbed through. “I know. So something must have changed.”

 

“But the question is what,” said Quistis. “And why.”

 

“And what are we going to do now...” Squall finished, creating a silence that lasted until they returned to the Garden.

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: Ellone has the potential to be a really interesting character. In-game she's essentially a plot device in the past and present, so I've never gotten a sense of who she is as a person. Hopefully that will change as I write more.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	10. Chapter 10

26 April 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

“Good afternoon, everybody. This is Headmaster Cid. I have an important announcement to make. Currently the Garden is being repaired, and as soon as it is fixed we will be leaving on a journey. A journey to defeat the sorceress.

 

“This journey will involve many battles, so please pay extra attention in your studies and keep yourselves healthy. The day-to-day administration of the Garden will be run by myself and the staff as usual, but our battles will be coordinated by a well-qualified leader: Squall Leonhart. From now on, Squall will decide our destination and battle plan. Please give him your full respect. If you have any questions, please speak to me in person. Thank you.”

 

/\/\/\

 

“Oh good, everybody's here!” Selphie clapped her hands excitedly as Quistis came down into the quad. It wasn't hard to see the real reason she was so happy; the technicians of Fisherman's Horizon had repaired the stage that she'd been planning to have the Garden Festival centered around. It amazed Quistis that Selphie still thought of school activities with everything going on, but in the next second Quistis realized that Selphie was doing the same thing Quistis was doing—keeping herself distracted.

 

“ _Though her need is greater than mine,”_ thought Quistis as Selphie ran forward and caught her by the hand, dragging her toward the stage. _“Her childhood home was destroyed and here I am, still mooning over an enemy combatant...”_

 

“What are we doing?” Quistis asked of Zell, Rinoa, and Irvine as Selphie pulled her toward the stage.

 

“I thought we could throw a party for Squall!” said Selphie brightly, making Quistis stare.

 

“See, Selphie figured that our poor buddy's is gonna be super stressed about his promotion,” said Irvine. “And what are friends for, right?”

 

“Not a big party, though, right?” Zell asked, making them look at him. “Come on, during the Graduation Ball all he did was hug the sides.”

 

“And dance with me,” huffed Rinoa.

 

“Me too,” said Quistis, making them look at her. “Though I admit, I sort of bullied him into it.”

 

Wordlessly Rinoa held up her hand and after a puzzled moment, Quistis gave her a high five.

 

“We'll break in the stage with a proper party,” said Selphie, her eyes shining. “Just the six of us, cackling and doing stupid stuff. It'll be awesome!”

 

“Hmm...” said Quistis, and jumped as Rinoa came up and ribbed her gently. “What?”

 

“You know you waaanna,” said Rinoa, eyes sparkling. “You could use some 'stupid stuff' too.”

 

Quistis laughed. “Fine!”

 

“Goodie!” Selphie giggled. “Okay, so we're all going to be in charge of different stuff... I need volunteers for food, drink, music, and games.”

 

“Games?” Irvine asked, his brows raising.

 

“Yeah! Like 'Don't Judge Me, But' and mad libs with horrible romance novels.” Selphie's grin got almost frighteningly huge. “It's going to be _awesome._ ”

 

“I'll do—” started Rinoa, but Selphie shook her head.

 

“No, no, no,” said Selphie, holding up her hand. “You have another job. One just for you. You... Are the Squall Attractor.”

 

“The what?” Rinoa started to laugh.

 

“Your job is to pry Squall out of his room and make him come down here when we're all done,” said Selphie, which just made Rinoa laugh harder. “Hey, I'm being serious!”

 

“You do have a way of making him do things the rest of us can't,” Quistis agreed. When Rinoa looked at her quizzically, Quistis said, “Well, he'd never show _me_ around the Garden.”

 

“He didn't show me either, and I'm an actual student here!” said Selphie.

 

“Okay, fine,” said Rinoa, shaking her head and laughing still. “I'll be the Squall Attractor. When do I bring him around?”

 

“Mmm... I think 2100,” said Selphie, looking thoughtful. “Because we don't want to be bothered, right? So we can talk about stuff with just us. And that'll give us a few hours to get everything too.”

 

“Roger!” said Rinoa, striking a fake salute.

 

After some discussion, Zell and Irvine went off in search of food and music respectively, while Selphie brainstormed games (she clearly had a better idea of that category than anyone else) and Quistis went in search of drinks. As they were still docked at FH, there were actual stores to go to and at first Quistis only bought sodas and a champagne-like bottle of sparkling apple juice since everyone including her was underage in FH. But as she headed toward the checkout line, a wine display made her pause.

 

“ _Well, I know I had my first drink when I was fifteen...”_ she thought, eyeing something that said 'chocolate wine'. _“And we've all been through so much... I know I definitely wouldn't mind a little alcohol at the party tonight.”_

 

“ _You can't say you've never bluffed before,”_ echoed a voice that still made her smile despite everything.

 

“ _Not for wine!”_ Hissed back a delighted, besotted past self.

 

“ _Well, let's change that,”_ thought Quistis, grabbing a bottle of milk chocolate and dark chocolate wine. On impulse she picked up a growler of chocolate raspberry ale and put that in her basket too. Anxiety danced in her stomach as she neared the front of the checkout line, but as she put her purchases down for the cashier, the balding middle-aged man barely glanced up except to count her money and give her change. Quistis thanked him and walked back to the Garden like she'd just come off a successful mission.

 

/\/\/\

 

“ _I'm bored...”_ thought Squall, staring up at the ceiling. He had retreated to his room after his 'promotion', but even he couldn't agonize forever without getting tired. Or hungry.

 

“ _I wonder what everybody else is doing,”_ he thought as he rolled out of bed, stomach growling slightly. Squall was of two minds about eating. On the one hand, he knew he had to. On the other hand, he knew that if he ate, he'd have energy to worry again and that wasn't something he was looking forward to. With a sigh Squall levered himself to his feet and went out in search of a meal. This was going to be his last night of relative freedom and relaxation. Tomorrow until whenever, he was the Commander. Great.

 

“ _Sending three people on a mission that would probably fail was bad enough, but now Cid expects me to make the decisions for the entire Garden? It's... It's too much...”_

 

As he exited his room, he caught a flicker of motion from the corner of his eye and turned to see Rinoa. His jaw dropped as he saw what she was wearing.

 

“Hi,” said Rinoa, grinning. She spun, making the sleek, full skirt of her blue dress whirl out almost to waist level. Squall's eyes snapped to the rapidly rising hem before he could stop himself from looking, which appeared to be the effect Rinoa had been shooting for. “You like?”

 

“Uh...” Words failed him. Stupid words. Squall blinked. “Where did you get that?”

 

“Quistis's friend Xu has a bunch of dresses,” said Rinoa. “All us girls are dressed up.”

 

“For what?”

 

“Oh... You'll see. Follow me.”

 

He didn't have anything better to do, so Squall followed Rinoa to the quad. The first thing he noticed was that though the stage had been repaired, it was still draped in heavy canvas fabric. Light shone through the cracks in the canvas sheeting and as they approached, Squall heard laughter. He looked at Rinoa with one brow raised.

 

“It'll be fun,” Rinoa promised, taking him by the hand. Her fingers were warm and soft, and Squall unconsciously thought of how nice she'd felt in his arms when they'd danced at the ball. “Come on.”

 

They walked over to the stage and Rinoa smiled mischievously at Squall as she 'knocked' on the canvas.

 

“Who's theeere?” Selphie sang out.

 

“It's Rinoaaa,” Rinoa sang back, making Squall roll his eyes. “And I brought a frieeend!”

 

“Well, bring him iiin!”

 

Now grinning, Rinoa pulled the canvas drape aside. Squall stared at the scene that greeted him. Somehow, someone (probably Selphie) had piled the area underneath the stage with bedding and pillows, creating a nest that looked like a huge blanket fort. Rope lights were swagged through the scaffolding under the stage for light and decoration, and there was food and drink too. A small CD player pumped music that Squall vaguely recognized and didn't dislike.

 

And the four people inside the blanket tent-fort-nest were grinning at him. Squall realized they were actually happy to see him.

 

“Welcome to Castle Kickass!” said Selphie, making Squall snort. She was wearing a pretty dress too, a one-shouldered sheathlike thing that was covered in sparkly ruffles. Squall noticed everyone was in their socks or bare feet and took off his boots before ducking his head and climbing in, which elicited a round of applause.

 

“Isn't this great?” Zell gushed as Squall came in. There was enough room to crouch, but it was more efficient to go on hands and knees. Squall felt a bit dumb...

 

...but also a bit like laughing. He had a vague memory of being in a blanket fort just like this a very, very long time ago...

 

“ _But with who? And why? And... When? I must have been very young... Maybe not even an orphan back then...”_

 

He vaguely remembered being with children his own age in the blanket fort. Maybe at one point he'd had siblings?

 

Zell had picked up a bunch of prepared trays from the grocery store, so everyone ate cheese and sausage and various fruits and vegetables, all of which could be dipped in whatever sauces were available (“Ew! Sausage and caramel do not mix!” “Don't knock it until you've tried it!”). As Squall realized that nobody wanted anything from him, he relaxed enough to sit back on a pillow and listen to the easy flow of conversation. Rinoa sat close by, almost leaning against him. He was aware of her warmth and her presence in a way that soothed him, and Squall fleetingly wondered if she would let him rest his head in her lap. She looked so nice and soft...

 

“Are we all full?” Quistis asked as Zell stacked up the empty trays and pushed them out of the blanket castle.

 

“As full as we're getting,” said Irvine, who was stretched out all along one side like a cat. “Why?”

 

“Oh... Just wondering,” said Quistis innocently. She was wearing a red dress with a very voluminous skirt, and as she slyly pulled the hem off her legs, Zell yelped at the sight of the wine bottles she'd been hiding all night. Squall stared at Quistis in shock.

 

“Ooo, you are BAD!” Selphie squealed as Quistis laughed and picked up one of the bottles. “We could get in sooo much trouble.”

 

“Then we'll just have to be sure not to,” said Quistis in that same faux-innocent voice. Squall eyed his former teacher and wondered if she hadn't gotten into one of the bottles a little already. He knew she was under a lot of stress in ways that the rest of them weren't and unlike him, she didn't really seem to know how to handle things by herself. Squall's brows shot up to his hairline as Quistis expertly uncorked the wine bottle and started pouring for everyone, and he hoped that her ease with alcoholic beverages wasn't a sign of something more serious.

 

“Smells like chocolate,” said Zell, sniffing the wine.

 

“I figured something sweet would be easiest to start with,” said Quistis. “I have some less sweet ones too.”

 

“Sweet is just fine,” said Irvine, sipping at his. Squall eyed the brown wine suspiciously at first, but a cautious sip showed that it wasn't bad at all. The alcohol aftertaste nearly made him spit, but when Squall noticed that no one else seemed to be gagging from the taste he realized that it was probably supposed to be like that.

 

“ _Gross,”_ he thought, taking another drink anyway. Squall quickly found out that the wine tasted good as long as he kept drinking, so he drank the entire cup, unaware that everyone was looking at him with varying degrees of surprise and admiration. When he finished, Irvine clapped.

 

“Alright,” said Irvine, a grin creeping up around his mouth. “Alright. I'll have another one, Quistis, thanks.”

 

A bottle of milk chocolate wine and half a bottle of dark chocolate wine later, they were all pleasantly fuzzy. Squall ended up lying on his side with his head in Rinoa's lap while she rested against one of the pillars under the stage with a pillow at her back. Zell was lying on his back with his legs hooked over Selphie's; she was sitting with her legs straight out with the puffy ruffles of her skirt protecting her modesty. Irvine was lying down on his front, head pillowed by his arms, and Quistis was sitting upright but swaying slightly from side to side, her eyes closed.

 

“This is nice,” said Selphie, smiling dreamily. “We should do Castle Kickass more often.”

 

“Agreed,” said Irvine. His accent became even more pronounced when he was drunk, which made his next sentence come out as, “Ah may jest sleep here t'night.”

 

“Me too,” yawned Zell. “Ish so comfy.”

 

“Mmhmm,” hummed Rinoa. She looked down at Squall and petted his head, saying, “But you're gonna have to get off my lap. You're cutting off my circulation.”

 

“Kay,” mumbled Squall, sliding his head off her lap to thump onto the blankets. Rinoa snickered at him but touched his face.

 

“Oh my gosh, you're so hot,” she said, smoothing his hair from his forehead. “You shouldn't have drank that so fast.”

 

“I don't know,” said Squall, turning so his head was facedown in the piled up blankets. “Iz my first time.”

 

“You've _never_ drank before?” Rinoa asked, surprised.

 

“No.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because the DC was very good when it came to keeping contraband out of the Garden,” said Quistis, making Rinoa look at her. “Not too long ago, Seifer and Fujin and Raijin actually busted a dealer who was selling drugs to the students.”

 

“And by busted you mean...”

 

“They broke his arm before turning him over to the Balamb constables,” said Quistis, smiling. “I heard about it from Xu.”

 

“And here I thought they just gave out detentions for running in the halls,” quipped Zell.

 

“So, I gotta ask you,” said Selphie, looking at Quistis and pointing. “You and Seifer; definitely a thing, right?”

 

Quistis groaned. The exact subject she hadn't wanted to think about was _of course_ the one that got brought up. “Yes,” she sighed. “We are a thing. Were a thing.”

 

Squall made a low whine of dismay but nobody heard him since his face was still in the blankets.

 

“See, I thought that in the gunboat and at the ball,” said Selphie as Irvine looked at Quistis in surprise. “Oh yeah, I forgot Irvy didn't know. They're dating!”

 

“That's gotta be awkward,” said Irvine to Quistis.

 

“It's not so bad,” said Quistis, picking up the half-emptied bottle of dark chocolate wine. She poured herself a cupful and recorked the wine, saying in a forcedly light voice, “I'll just let Squall kill him, if we can't capture him.”

 

“You hear that, Squall?” Zell asked, craning his head around to look at Squall. The blond man reached over his head and patted Squall on the shoulder, saying, “You're the designated Seifer-Whacker.”

 

“So it was serious, then?” Irvine asked, sounding intrigued. With his accent, the word came out more like a very soft “thin”.

 

“Fairly,” said Quistis, looking away. _“The most serious I've ever been about anyone in my entire life.”_

 

“But didn't he like... Interrogate you?” Zell asked, lifting his head up. “He drugged you, right? Probably did some other kind of torture... That's really messed up.”

 

Quistis struggled to keep her face still. “...It wasn't exactly torture.”

 

Squall suddenly surged up from the blankets, eyes wide. Everyone looked at him in shock and more than few wondered if he was suddenly going to vomit.

 

“No,” he said, looking at Quistis. “He just _hit_ you _repeatedly_ with a _big stick_.”

 

“...What?” Quistis asked, utterly confused.

 

“The...” Squall started to turn red. “You know what I mean. All the... The...” He paused for a second and as Quistis suddenly realized what he was getting at, Squall blurted out, “Look, I appreciate everything you did to get us out, but... But it was so loud.”

 

“What was?” Zell asked, looking confused as Quistis started to turn as red as her dress. Then Selphie gasped so loudly that everyone looked at her.

 

“Quistis!” Selphie exclaimed, her hands going to her face as her eyes became huge with shock. “You _didn't!”_

 

“Didn't what?” Zell demanded, now starting to get annoyed.

 

“Did you femme fatale Seifer?” Selphie asked, sounding half-delighted at the very notion.

 

“She did,” said Squall with a drunk's conviction, making Rinoa scream.

 

“AUGH!” Zell shrilled instantly, clapping his hands over his face. “My eyes! My brain eyes!”

 

Meanwhile Irvine just started laughing, hitting the padded floor with the side of his fist and Selphie looked _way_ too excited.

 

And Squall just kept on rambling, saying, “And it was _so_ loud. I was drugged and I couldn't move and I had to hear it all and... Why?” His voice became as plaintive as a child's as he stared at Quistis with surprisingly cute, innocent, distressed puppydog eyes. “Why?”

 

Quistis started to tremble, making the satiny skirt of her red dress ripple with light. Bad enough she hadn't sorted out her feelings about that incident, but now Squall was throwing it out in the open for everyone to know and cackle about... It wasn't funny. It was NOT funny. OOH! Quistis took a deep, shuddering breath and when she exhaled, sat up as regal and composed as any queen. She shoved the cringing part of her brain off to the side and spoke as a SeeD.

 

“That was on purpose,” she said crisply. “It kept him off-balance, distracted, and allowed me to maneuver him into a position that allowed me to knock him unconscious.” Straightening glasses she wasn't wearing, she said, “It was very efficient.”

 

“Wait, _you_ _knocked him unconscious?”_ Zell interrupted, confusion apparently overriding his reticence. As he looked over Quistis's relatively slender frame, he asked, “How? He's like...huge. And you're not.”

 

“I hit his head on a chair.”

 

“A chair?” Irvine repeated, frowning. “Wait, so like... What were you doing?”

 

Quistis gave him a long, considering look. Whether it was the alcohol or the irritation making her listen to the imp of the perverse, she decided that she was not going to be the only uncomfortable one and that Irvine probably had the best sense of humor. “Let's go outside.”

 

“What?”

 

“I won't knock _you_ unconscious.” Quistis took a quick drink of wine before climbing out of the canvas castle and after a moment, Irvine followed. Turning around, Zell and Selphie lifted one of the canvas drapes up so everyone still in the fort could see.

 

“Alright,” said Quistis. She put her back to Irvine's front and grabbed his hands, and Selphie squeaked a bit as she clapped one of them right on her boob. Irvine instinctively flinched, but did not pull away as Quistis made him then grab her hip. “As you can see, the hands are fully engaged.”

 

“This makes me uncomfortable,” said Irvine, turning red.

 

“Be quiet. Learn something.” Quistis hooked her arms behind Irvine's head.

 

“Why me?” Irvine asked in a near-whine as Quistis pulled him down into a more suggestive position. Selphie covered her mouth with one hand, her eyes huge. Rinoa started giggling.

 

“You're the only one tall enough,” said Quistis. “Okay, now thrust.”

 

“What?”

 

“This move needs a certain amount of momentum. Now one hard push. Just do it.”

 

“Ah dunno...”

 

“What if this gets used on you?” she asked in a Instructor voice. “You should learn how to counter it.”

 

“Okay, fine,” Irvine muttered. As he drew back, he said, “Just so you know, Ah object to this method of AHHH!”

 

“Oh, I get it now,” said Zell as Quistis threw Irvine completely over her shoulder, sending his long legs flying through the air and slamming him onto his back onto the ground so hard that he bounced. Squall, Rinoa, and Selphie exclaimed in horror. “Nicely done!”

 

“Thank you, Zell,” said Quistis, straightening; she had kept hold of Irvine's head to stop from cracking it into the ground. “Coming from a martial artist, that means a lot.”

 

“It'd work better if he was trying to choke you, though,” said Zell, gesturing around his neck. “Then you can just grab onto his arm and then WHOOP! There he goes. The way you're throwing isn't gonna work for ladies who don't have the strength to yank like that.”

 

“How the hell do you defend against that?” Irvine asked, staring up at Quistis.

 

“Drop your weight,” said Quistis and Zell together.

 

“Like I'm gonna remember that in the heat of the moment,” Irvine grumbled, pushing himself up off the floor and rubbing his low back.

 

“Then just remember not to bang the enemy,” said Rinoa reasonably, making Selphie laugh aloud.

 

“Why would I ever do that?” Irvine demanded.

 

“I dunno,” said Rinoa. “But I could see you doing it.”

 

“Me too,” said Quistis, making Irvine scowl. Squall just nodded.

 

“Hmph,” Irvine said, folding his arms as they walked back into Castle Kickass. “I'm smarter 'n that. Even if she were naked and begging for it, I wouldn't fall for it.”

 

“Well, it's a good thing Seifer's not as smart,” said Zell, making Quistis snort and Irvine chuckle grudgingly. “Also, we've learned something else.”

 

“What's that?” Rinoa asked.

 

Zell pointed at Quistis and said, “She is way scarier than we thought.”

 

“Yeah, it's not just anybody who can knock someone out while they're getting knocked up,” said Selphie with a perfectly straight face.

 

“Or bump heads while bumping uglies,” said Rinoa, her eyes gleaming.

 

“Clean his clock while he's cleaning the carpet!” said Selphie as Quistis started to turn red.

 

“Rock the boat while he's parting the pink sea!” exclaimed Rinoa, clapping her hands in excitement.

 

“Oh _please_ shut up!” Quistis cried, clapping her hands to her face again. Irvine started to laugh, clutching his sides, while Zell unsuccessfully stifled his giggles. Squall was making some sort of choking noise.

 

“Wait, wait, wait, I've got one more!” Selphie was almost vibrating with excitement, and for a moment she said nothing, the glee visibly building as she unconsciously clenched her fists and grinned. Everyone held their breath. Then Selphie exploded with, “ _Switching from gland-to-gland to_ hand-to-hand combat!”

 

Red as a tomato, Quistis dove for the wine while Irvine slapped his hands on his thighs. “Y'all are FILTHY and Ah LOVE it!”

 

They stayed up late into the night, rambling through conversations and eventually polishing off all the alcohol. It was around 3 in the morning when they finally decided it was time to turn in, so Castle Kickass was broken down into its component blankets and pillows and put back into the moving cart Selphie had brought out of storage. On impulse Zell picked up Squall and dropped him into the cart, making the brunet SeeD yelp as he sank into the bedding.

 

“Hehehe,” Zell giggled as Squall tried to flail his way out. Before anyone could stop him, Zell seized a corner of the cart and pulled hard, sending it into a tight spin. Squall's head turned into a dark blur as the cart whirled in place.

 

“Wait! I got a better idea!” Irvine dragged the cart to a stop. Then putting his hands on the nearest two corners, Irvine charged with the cart ahead of him, making Squall yell as they rushed for the stairs. At the last second Irvine dug his heels in and made the cart swing around. “Zell! Catch!”

 

“Whoohoo!”

 

“Stop it! Stop it!” Squall shouted as Irvine shoved the cart back with a hard spin and sent it rattling and rolling across the quad. Rinoa was laughing so hard that she had to hold onto Selphie for support, who in turn was holding onto Quistis and gasping for breath.

 

“Guys, stop it,” said Quistis, nevertheless laughing. “He looks like he's about to throw up.”

 

“Nah, he's fine,” said Zell, catching the cart. Squall grabbed the edge and yanked himself out, flopping ungracefully to the ground. As he staggered to his feet, he glared at everyone.

 

“Is this how you plan to treat your Commander?” He asked, pointing at them all.

 

The group exchanged glances. Rinoa's mouth quirked.

 

“Yep!” She said brightly, making Selphie snort and Zell start to laugh. “You'd better get used to it, Squall. You may be in charge, but you're still our friend and we're never, ever going to let you forget it.”

 

Squall looked at her blankly. Then his face started to turn red again.

 

“Aww!” Rinoa skipped over to him and gave him a hug. “It's okay. You're alright, Squall. You're just fine.”

 

Irvine started to creep backwards over the stairs, gesturing over his shoulder with both hands. Taking the cue, Zell, Selphie, and Quistis tiptoed around Squall and Rinoa as Squall's arms slowly came up around Rinoa's sides.

 

“They're so cute,” Selphie sighed as they left the quad. “I'm glad that's going well for them.”

 

“Just as long as he doesn't get distracted,” said Zell, shoving his hands in his pockets. “What's Cid thinking? Squall's only seventeen. We all are, except for you,” he said to Quistis. “We're not ready to be in charge of stuff.”

 

“We're also the only ones who've ever gone up against the Sorceress in person,” said Quistis, making everyone nod. “We are literally the only ones for the job.”

 

“Yeah, but...” Zell sighed. “Squall doesn't like being in charge. You can tell.”

 

“That's why we gotta support him,” said Irvine, putting his hand on Zell's shoulder. Then to Quistis's surprise, he clapped his other hand on her shoulder and squeezed, saying, “And you too.”

 

“Me?” Quistis was bemused. “I'm fine.”

 

“Nah, you an' Squall are the same,” said Irvine. “You just keep things to yourself until you can't anymore. You're just better at hiding it.”

 

Quistis mulled over that for a while. She'd often thought the same thing, but always as a positive. Still...

 

“Well, it's a good thing my friends have keen eyes, then,” Quistis said with a little smile.

 

“And ears,” said Zell. When everyone looked at him in surprise, he broke into a broad grin so comically fast that everyone started laughing. And for the first time in a long time, Quistis's heart felt peaceful and full.

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: Teenagers should be teenagers.

 

I never understood why Rinoa had her party dress on her when they were running around and everything, unless she left it at the Garden somehow or just kept it squished in her bag... Her invisible bag... So that is why the girls are borrowing Xu's clothes.

And in case it's not obvious, I had the best time coming up with Rinoa and Selphie's exchange. You know the one.

 

Castle Kickass art: http://klepto-maniac0.tumblr.com/search/my+art+kickass

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	11. Chapter 11

28 April 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

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/\/\/\

 

“Xu, a word?”

 

Xu glanced up from her desk, her lips thinning as she saw Cid standing in the doorway of her office. Bitterness still cooled in her heart like a lump of magma, but there was no point in being pointlessly uncivil. Nevertheless she nodded exactly once and Cid came in, his hands laced behind his back.

 

“You know how much I value you,” he said, his voice serious. “And I understand that you may be confused over my appointment of Squall Leonhart.”

 

“I'm not sure 'confused' is the right word,” Xu murmured, lacing her hands together. Tightly.

 

“There is a reason.”

 

“There always is.”

 

Cid took off his glasses with a sigh and polished them on his sweatervest. “Xu... Do you believe in fate?”

 

“Hell no.”

 

“Ah. Then... Please accept that I do.”

 

“So it's my _fate_ to be second fiddle to a kid ten years my junior, then?” Xu snapped before she could stop herself. Then she thought about it, unlaced her hands, and cut loose. “What the fuck are you thinking, Cid? Squall-fucking-Leonhart is a borderline misanthrope! He scores _middling_ high in Strategy and Tactics! People know him as 'The Whatever Weirdo' and 'that guy who fights with Seifer all the time'! Why did you make him the Commander? Quistis—”

 

“Your preference for Quistis is noted.”

 

“SHE IS THE CLEAR CHOICE,” Xu shouted, all but vibrating with rage. “If you had to pick from that group, it would be her! And if you had to pick from everyone, it would be m—”

 

“I know.”

 

“Then why—”

 

“It comes back to fate,” said Cid, making Xu throw her hands into the air. “Xu... You remember when we first started? When we were running around the world, solidifying the curriculum, creating all of this?”

 

“Yeah,” said Xu shortly. They were some of her best memories. Back then, she had _really_ idolized Cid and even though she knew his cracks and weaknesses now, that flutter of adoration and childlike love had gotten her through more than could be described.

 

“Would it surprise you to know that I always knew the shape of what had to be?” Cid asked, putting his glasses back on. “When I speak of 'fate', I rarely mean the individual. A storm is coming for us, Xu. A storm of witches. And... Squall Leonhart is the one who must be the point of the sword. For the future we need, he must be the leader.”

 

“Cid...”

 

“And should he fall, I need someone who will be able to carry out what must be done,” said Cid, looking directly at Xu. Xu had to look away from the trust and conviction in his eyes as it made the bitterness surge against the silly need to please that still rolled in her chest. “Someone who will never hesitate. Someone who _will_ get the job done. Squall is only the Commander now, but _you_ are the First SeeD. And still the truest. _”_

 

“ _I hate when he says stuff like that,”_ thought Xu, wanting to throw something sharp at him. _“I hate that I still believe it.”_

 

“My decision was never meant to hurt you, Xu. I am sorry.”

 

“Just go away, Cid,” Xu said, shutting her eyes. Whether he did it on purpose or not, he had said the exact words that had broken her heart years ago, when she'd been a foolish fatherless teenager and unable to distinguish between different kinds of love.

 

“ _But you haven't seen your wife in ages! What does it matter? I won't tell anyone...”_

 

“ _But_ I _would know, and I will always love Edea first. I am sorry, Xu.”_

 

Ugh. UGGGH. She knew better now, but a tiny pocket of Xu's heart would always love Cid Kramer that way no matter how sneaky and cowardly he got. Back then, as a younger man, he had been something. So smart and strong and _secure_ in his plans for the future and the life he'd wanted to build... With Xu at his side instead of Edea. Ugh, saintly and beautiful Edea, ever perfect in her absence with Cid making excuses while Xu put all the pieces back together. Was it any wonder that a silly teenage girl had seen a married man's longing for his long-gone wife and assumed the worst? After all, she'd been essentially functioning as a wife without the conjugal duties—supporting Cid's decisions, being available as a second set of hands, helping him realize his dream, cheering him up when he had doubts about what he was doing...

 

“ _He never lied to me, but he never disabused me of anything until it was too late, either...”_

 

In the present, Cid left before Xu's eyes could start to burn, and eventually the magma in Xu's chest cooled and hardened to iron. Like it always did after times like these.

 

“ _So Squall's the point of the sword, huh? Guess that makes me the blade proper. Or the real cutting edge. Just as many people die from slashes as stabs...”_

 

It still hurt. But Xu pushed it away into the corner where she locked away all her other hurts, the other things that just couldn't be helped. If Cid had decided Squall was his golden boy, fine. FINE. Gold was soft and weak. But steel... Steel always survived. Steel was always more valuable in the end.

 

“ _Squall's only the Commander for now. After this storm passes... Well, who knows.”_

 

/\/\/\

 

Seifer kept himself busy with gathering updates on what every branch of the Galbadian Army was doing, where Balamb Garden had flown off to (Fujin and Raijin sighed with relief at that, and even Seifer did not seem as displeased as he claimed to be), and if anyone, anywhere, had found a girl named Ellone.

 

Part of the reason that Seifer kept so busy was because the Galbadian soldiers under his command were deliberately insubordinate. They snapped to attention quickly enough when Edea was around, but for Seifer they were slow, 'forgetful', and basically as irritating as recalcitrant ten-year-olds. Fujin and Raijin watched helplessly as order after order was flat-out disobeyed before they finally stepped in to establish order one beating at a time. It wasn't the best solution, but they simply didn't have time to talk people around. Besides, if Seifer got any angrier, he would probably start killing people and Fujin and Raijin didn't want him to do that. He would never do kill out of pique normally, but after about four days Fujin and Raijin realized that Seifer didn't really eat unless he was reminded and he did not sleep.

 

Period.

 

They first noticed when Fujin saw that Seifer hadn't touched his sandwich from eight hours earlier, so they went in search of him and found Seifer sitting outside the Sorceress's Chamber. Formerly the Headmaster's Office, the Chamber was now swathed in long semitranslucent draperies that made the warrior part of Fujin and Raijin nervous from the reduced visibility. Edea slept in something like a hammock of this fabric for what seemed like literally half the day, her long red mask covering her face and her arms folded across her chest like the ancient kings of yore. Seifer sat on the floor in front of where she rested, his gunblade across his knees. When they came up the elevator, the look of hostility in Seifer's eyes took them aback before he blinked and recognized who they were. Then with an apologetic little smile, he put his finger to his lips and jerked his head slightly at the sleeping sorceress.

 

Fujin mutely held out the sandwich, while Raijin held up a water bottle. Seifer's expression softened further, but he shook his head. Fujin and Raijin glanced at each other before approaching. At once Seifer got to his feet and they did not miss how his hand tightened around his gunblade. Nevertheless, they kept walking forward, pretending that they didn't notice how Seifer became tenser the closer they got to Edea.

 

“Eat,” Fujin whispered.

 

“I'm not hungry,” Seifer whispered back.

 

“You're not going to do her any good if you fall over,” Raijin pointed out. “Come on, man. Just a bite, ya know?”

 

“Hens,” Seifer muttered, nevertheless taking the sandwich and the water. Fujin and Raijin watched him eat until there was nothing but crumbs and an empty bottle, ignoring Seifer's annoyed look. However, when he gestured sarcastically at the empty plate and bottle, they gave him an equally sarcastic round of muffled applause. Seifer gave them a much less polite gesture, but the impact was blunted by the jaw-cracking yawn he tried to hide behind his sleeve.

 

“When was the last time you slept?” Raijin asked, meaning for it to be a joke, but as soon as the words left his mouth he realized he didn't know the answer. And neither did Fujin by the look on her face. Even more worryingly, Seifer only shrugged.

 

They went away, leaving Seifer alone with his sorceress. As soon as they left, something like regret and relief made Seifer sigh and he walked back to Edea. She looked like she was having nightmares. A casual observer would only note her beauty, but Seifer saw tension in her crossed arms and her jaw clenching underneath her mask. Sometimes she gasped or flinched in her sleep.

 

“Matron,” Seifer whispered as a flinch turned into a shudder. “It's alright. You're safe.”

 

“...the children...”

 

“They're safe,” he said soothingly. Reaching through the draperies, he touched her shoulder softly, like he was six and waking her up from a nap again. “Everyone is fine.”

 

Her shuddering became more intense, but then she let out a long, deep breath and stilled once more. Seifer stroked her shoulder with his knuckles, wishing he could do more.

 

The hiss of the elevator returning made him turn and grip Hyperion more tightly, but it was only Fujin and Raijin. To his confusion, they had bedding.

 

“What are you doing?” He asked as Fujin set three pillows down in front of Edea and Raijin rolled out several blankets.

 

“We're taking turns,” said Raijin, his voice pitched very quiet. “Two awake, one asleep. She'll be better off with three guards than one, right?”

 

Seifer hesitated. He trusted Fujin and Raijin beyond everything, but the idea of anybody else watching over Edea seemed as wrong as beheading babies. Still...

 

“Two awake?” He whispered.

 

They nodded. Seifer relaxed slightly. If he stayed awake, he could sit up with them... Make sure they knew what to do...

 

“See if it's comfortable,” Fujin whispered, gesturing at the rough bed in the middle.

 

Seifer walked over and picked his way to the middle bed. As soon as he laid down, a wave of crushing exhaustion seemed to roll over him and Seifer yawned, covering his mouth. His head seemed to buzz with the word  _sleep_ over and over.

 

“Comfy?” Fujin asked softly, her voice taking on a dreamlike quality.

 

Seifer nodded, closing his eyes. “Don't let me fall asleep.”

 

“Won't.”

 

Seifer exhaled, dropping off immediately. Fujin and Raijin watched as his entire body relaxed and his grip on his gunblade eased ever so slightly. Moving as carefully as they had during the time when Seifer had gotten blackout drunk (after a failed SeeD exam over a year ago), Fujin and Raijin put a blanket over their friend and rolled him onto his left side so he could jump seamlessly into an attack. They did not try to take his gunblade or even remove his shoes. Fujin glanced up and saw deep lines of unhappiness on Raijin's normally beaming face.

 

“Fuj...”

 

“Mm?”

 

Raijin swallowed, tears coming to his dark eyes. He looked at her, so fragile for such a large, physically imposing man.

 

“I'm really worried about him,” Raijin whispered in the language that gave him and Fujin their names. Less than a thousand people in this part of the world spoke it.

 

Fujin nodded shortly, feeling her own upset roil in her chest. Wordlessly she reached across Seifer to take Raijin's hand and squeeze. As tears dripped out of Raijin's eyes, Fujin had to look away to stop herself from crying too.

 

Seifer slept for ten hours, barely breathing, never moving. He might have slept for longer, except Fujin and Raijin packed away the bedding and then woke him up so he could greet Edea when she rose. Since she was still sleeping he couldn't shout at them, but he hissed his fury at them and they made noises that sounded like they were sorry. They weren't, though. They would never be sorry for making sure Seifer was alright. It was Seifer who had shown Raijin that it was alright to get angry no matter how big you were; just because you were tall didn't mean you had to absorb abuse forever. It was Seifer who had pushed two older students into the water and held them under (just until the faculty had caught him and thrown him in detention) when he'd caught them mocking Fujin's voice; his exact words had been “She sounds like that because she almost died! What are you gonna sound like after I'm done with you, huh?!”

 

And it was Seifer, after they'd all failed a SeeD test together, who swore that they'd all make it or else.

 

When Edea woke, seemingly dragged awake by an unknown force, Seifer fell into step behind her, his personal problems flowing away as he became her knight. Fujin and Raijin walked behind him, heads bowed as though at a funeral for a dear friend.

 

“What is the progress on locating Ellone?” Edea asked as they took the lift down to the first floor.

 

“Balamb and Fisherman's Horizon were busts,” said Seifer. “And our forces in FH were annihilated by Balamb Garden SeeDs.”

 

Edea tsked. “Cursed SeeDs... Ever a thorn in my side. We must destroy them. What was their last known location?”

 

“There's been nothing after Fisherman's Horizon,” said Seifer. “And that was three days ago. They could be anywhere.”

 

Edea tsked again and the translucent cape behind her seemed to lash like the tail of an angry cat. “Ellone...” she muttered again. “That power... Where could she be? Ten years... Ten wasted years. Centra.”

 

“Centra?” Seifer repeated, frowning.

 

“Set a course for Centra,” said Edea, looking at Seifer over her shoulder. “She has not hidden from me for ten years by being foolish. No one in any of our occupied territories has seen anyone who looks even remotely like her, so she must be outside of our range. We have explored those territories. Therefore, she must be in Centra...”

 

Edea made a noise of pain and touched her head with two long-clawed fingers. Seifer unconsciously reached out, but pulled back as she huffed in annoyance and dropped her hand.

 

“Yes,” she said, her voice sharpening in a way that Seifer couldn't identify. “Centra. The ship. We must find the White SeeD ship.”

 

“White SeeD?” Seifer frowned.

 

“Yes. The White SeeDs. Meddlesome creatures, swarming like locusts over the generations...” Edea's eyes literally flashed, throwing lights like golden flames. “Always they defy me. Always... They are on a ship that returns to Centra. We will wait there for them and pry Ellone from their cold, dead hands. Kill them for me, my dearest knight. Hunt them down like the dogs they are. Let the White SeeD hunt begin.”

 

“As you wish,” said Seifer, bowing his head. Fujin and Raijin could only look helplessly on as a savage smile curled the corners of his lips and his sea-green eyes seemed to become wine-dark once again.

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: it's the update of emotional upsets!

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	12. Chapter 12

28 April 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

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At Selphie's request, Balamb Garden flew north to check on Trabia Garden. No one knew what to expect from the aftermath of the missile attacks, but the reality was more horrifying than anyone expected. On the bridge, everyone gasped as they cleared a small mountain range and the ruins were suddenly _there_ , pieces of buildings scattered like shards of a dropped vase. It was too early in the year for heavy snowfall, so there was no cover over the deep craters and half-melted rocks that evidenced the Sorceress's fury. They could not see anything moving.

 

“Oh Hyne in Heaven,” Xu said softly, her eyes misting. “That could have been us.”

 

“ _Poor Selphie,”_ thought Squall as Nida guided the Garden to a safe landing area. _“I hope this isn't a mistake.”_

 

They touched down and Squall went looking for the short-haired girl. Unsurprisingly she had already gone out with Irvine following close behind, and Squall went after her with the rest of their little group. His heart clenched with every step they took nearer to the ruins of Trabia Garden.

 

“I was here once,” said Quistis softly as they approached. “Two years ago, on a mission. It was a beautiful building. They had a flat halo like ours and it was about four stories high.” She gestured at the ruined outbuildings, saying, “For most of the year, it's so cold here that there's a system of tunnels underground to connect everything... I wonder if those are still intact.”

 

“I hope so,” said Rinoa softly, averting her eyes from the devastation. “Maybe people survived.”

 

“Yeah,” said Zell, sounding unconvinced.

 

But as they neared the half-melted iron wall that still shielded Trabia Garden from the outside world, they heard a peal of familiar laughter. When they crested the hill and came around the wall, Squall sighed in relief when he saw Selphie chattering animatedly with a girl who still wore the uniform of a SeeD cadet. Irvine was standing nearby and as soon as he saw them, walked up to their group.

 

“Seems like about a third of the people lived,” he said, and Squall winced. “But it's more like half the population's actually okay, because it was break and a lot of kids went home to their families. Mostly who died was SeeDs and wards.”

 

“That's so sad,” said Rinoa, her eyes welling up with tears.

 

“Yeah...” said Irvine, lowering his gaze. “I know. None of us want to go, but dying without being able to do anything... Or even seeing it coming... That's the worst.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “But Selphie found her best friend alive and well, and they're gonna talk it out for a while. I was thinking we'd go around... See what we can do...”

 

“I already told Xu I'd talk to whoever was in charge and make a list of their needs,” said Squall, making Irvine nod gratefully. “Whatever we can spare, we will.” To the others, he said, “We'll meet back here in about two hours.”

 

“If I may, there's a cemetery around,” said Irvine, making everyone look at him. “Why don't we meet up there and pay our respects? I think... Selphie's going to want to go there. Eventually.”

 

Squall nodded. “That's fine. Cemetery, two hours.”

 

“What do you want us to do?” Zell asked.

 

Squall rubbed his temples. “...Zell, you're good with machinery. See if anything needs fixed. Quistis, Rinoa, see if anyone needs medical care. I know it's been ten days, but maybe we have something they need. Irvine, just stay with Selphie for now. She might need you for something or have a better idea of what needs done around here.”

 

Having never expected aid, the survivors of Trabia Garden seemed almost in disbelief about Balamb Garden suddenly appearing to help, though once the shock wore off the survivors were glad to accept help: self-sufficiency was one thing, but turning down valuable tools and aid was another. For most people, anyway. It took Squall some time to locate what was left of the leadership of Trabia Garden, and when he found it, he was greeted with abuse. Stoically Squall endured accusations about not delivering early warning, antagonizing the Sorceress, and coming so late to help. Seeing Balamb Garden flying and mobile also spurred grief and resentment, which Squall also endured. Patiently he sat as the traumatized, weakened Assistant Headmaster of Trabia Garden railed at him from a dirty field cot and gestured with a stump of an arm, and when the middle-aged man finally ran out of breath, Squall just bowed his head and said, “I'm sorry about everything. Just tell us what we can do to help you.”

 

“You can fuck off to wherever you came from, you fair-weather basta—”

 

“Come with me,” said a crisp female voice as a hand seized Squall's upper arm. He turned in surprise and saw a tall, thin black-skinned woman with an amazing poof of red-orange hair and wearing a labcoat. “And ignore him. He's... Distraught.”

 

As the Assistant Headmaster continued to scream invectives, the woman that Squall assumed to be the head physican of Trabia Garden towed him to an area of the ruins that nevertheless showed signs of tidying; at least, the rubble had been arranged to mark out a rough room and there were blocks of stone to sit on that mimicked where chairs would be. The doctor took one as a seat and Squall took another.

 

“I'm Dr. Obavva,” said the woman. “And you are Commander Squall Leonhart of Balamb Garden, correct?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“You seem a bit young.”

 

“I am a bit young.”

 

Dr. Obavva nodded, seemingly satisfied by the response. “And you have the authority to give us aid?”

 

“The authority and the will,” said Squall. Gesturing slightly at the ruins, he said, “This could have been us. Easily. And Balamb Garden and Trabia Garden have always gotten along, so...”

 

Dr. Obavva nodded. “Very true,” she said. “Well, I have about twenty patients who could use better medical facilities than we currently possess. The infirmary was completely blown to hell, so any medicine would also be appreciated. Blankets. Bandages. Sanitary pads. Oh, and clean water. As much of it as you can spare.”

 

“That won't be a problem,” said Squall, thinking of one particular device in the sub-basement. Quite by accident they'd found out that it sucked in seawater and spat out fresh water, though they were fairly sure this was an unintended side-effect of whatever it was actually supposed to do. Seeing no reason to waste the water, Squall had ordered it collected and now it sat in the sub-basement in orange coolers that were taller than most people standing.

 

“I should mention that we won't be staying long,” said Squall, making Dr. Obavva cock her head. “We're planning to go after the Sorceress.”

 

“Are you now?” She asked, her eyes gleaming. “Do you want some help?”

 

“Yes, if you can spare anyone,” said Squall, surprised.

 

“There are about sixty cadets who are near SeeD status that escaped the attack,” said Dr. Obavva. “And about the same number of Trabian SeeDs. They were visiting relatives or otherwise out of the area, and they've spoken quite frequently about getting revenge. If you're going after the person who did this to us, you won't be able to keep them away.”

 

“Great,” said Squall, nodding. He was pretty sure Balamb Garden had enough food to support a hundred and twenty extra bodies, and supplies could be bought from smaller towns around the area too. “Is there anything else we can do?”

 

“Anything would be fine,” said Dr. Obavva. Lowering her eyes, she said, “And... If you can take on our wards...”

 

“Of course.”

 

“There's not many of them,” she said, choking up a little. “Only about, um... Twelve or so. The youngest we have is six, the oldest is seventeen. We used to have about forty-five, but...”

 

“That won't be a problem,” said Squall softly. “We'll take good care of them. If it helps, I'm a ward of Balamb Garden too.”

 

Dr. Obavva smiled fleetingly. “Well, it's good to know that Balamb turns out good kids.”

 

“ _Except one,”_ thought Squall as he looked around. Anger flickered in his chest as he saw the bumpy line of rough gravestones in the distance. _“Damn you, Seifer.”_

 

Squall went back to the Garden to explain Trabia's needs and issue orders, but he still ended up being late to the meeting by the cemetery. He found the group sitting on a low wall, quiet and somber, as Selphie rested against Irvine with eyes that were red with weeping. For once there was nothing sketchy in the sniper's demeanor as he sat quietly with Selphie, one arm around her shoulder and holding her hand.

 

“Thanks for coming all the way out here, guys,” said Selphie, smiling tiredly as Squall approached.

 

“No problem,” said Zell, nodding firmly.

 

“It was the right thing to do,” said Squall, looking out over the cemetery. There were so many graves. Unbidden he thought of Balamb's ward cemetary, which had maybe twenty occupants over the course of ten years. This was too sad. Turning away before his eyes could sting, he asked Selphie, “How are you holding up?”

 

She shrugged. “It could have been worse.” A grim little smile touched her face as she added, “I'll feel a lot better when we get revenge. I'm going to kick some Sorceress butt!”

 

“That's more like it,” said Irvine, giving her hand a squeeze.

 

“Do we have to?”

 

Everyone turned to look at Rinoa. She was standing slightly apart from the group, her hands laced behind her back as she scuffed the dirt with her toe.

 

“I mean...” She said slowly. “Do we have to fight? Couldn't we just... Not?”

 

She lifted her eyes and looked at the group. The mercenaries saw the fear and trepidation in her gaze and understood why she was asking. At the same time, there was a subtle ripple of understanding throughout the group. Rinoa was smart, strong, courageous... But she was not a mercenary like them. She had never been bred to this life.

 

And as for seeing death, well...

 

“ _It was wrong to drag her all the way out here,”_ thought Squall, rubbing his scar even though his chest was what was actually hurting. _“She doesn't get it. Yeah, it would be nice if we didn't have to fight. If someone else has a solution, I'm all for it. But no one does. So fighting is the only thing we can do... The only thing we know_ how _to do.”_

 

“Squall?”

 

“Hm?” Squall glanced at Rinoa.

 

“You have to say what you're thinking,” she said, the corner of her mouth twitching just a little. “Otherwise I don't know.”

 

He sighed heavily. “Where is this coming from?” He asked her, as though no one else was around. As Rinoa looked down at the ground, he said, “You're the leader of a resistence group. The only group that did anything other than talk. What happened?”

 

“I'm just scared,” whispered Rinoa. Her voice cracked as she said, “Everything is picking up so fast. I know I can't walk away now, I could never forgive myself if I did, but... But how far are we going? Are we all going to make it? I...”

 

“Hey, Rinoa,” said Irvine softly, making her look up with tear-filled eyes. “It's okay. I get it. You're afraid of losing people you care about. Someone you love... They can disappear before your very eyes. And it's tough living your life that way, worrying about that fear. But that's why I fight.”

 

A strange, rueful smile touched Irvine's face as he looked around the group.

 

“You know...” he said slowly. “When I was a kid... Probably about four years old... I lived in an orphanage. Nice place. All white stone, covered in flowers and vines... And it was full of kids, just full of 'em. But you know, it was the end of the Sorceress War, so I guess that couldn't be helped. And out of all the kids, there was one who especially dear to me... I really, really liked that girl. I was so happy just talking to her and being around her...”

 

Something about Irvine's words fell like a ripple into still water, making the SeeDs look at him strangely.

 

“A...stone house?” Selphie asked slowly, frowning.

 

Quistis touched her hand to her temple. Her head started to hurt a little, like trying to recall a formula for an obscure math problem. “Was it... Was it by the sea?”

 

“Yes,” said Irvine, nodding slowly. But his cornflower blue eyes began to shine.

 

“And... There was a lighthouse...” said Selphie, making Irvine's nodding speed up just a little. “And... Oh my gosh!” Selphie whipped around to stare at Irvine, who was now smiling more broadly and genuinely than anyone in the group had ever seen him do. “You were there! And Quistis too!”

 

Quistis clapped her hands to her face as things she'd always written off as dreams started to come into focus. “I was! Oh my goodness!”

 

Selphie whacked Irvine on the chest. “Why didn't you tell us?” She demanded, her eyes wide. “You knew all this time, didn't you?”

 

“I did,” said Irvine, still smiling. As Selphie's cheeks began to turn pink, he squeezed her hand and said, “From the very first moment I saw you again, I knew it.”

 

“You're not getting out of it that easily,” said Quistis, shaking her head. “Why didn't you tell us?”

 

“Because y'all didn't remember!” Irvine shot back. “And I thought, 'what's the point?'”

 

Now Zell was rubbing his head. “Hey...” He said, lifting his head. “Selphie, you said 'lighthouse', right? There was a lighthouse?”

 

“Yeah,” she said, looking at him. “Why?”

 

“Because... I don't know, this sounds stupid, but... But do you remember setting off fireworks?” He gestured vaguely but passionately with both hands, saying, “For some reason, I'm just remembering fireworks and this light that kept shining around and around...”

 

Quistis gasped loudly, eyes going wide. “I remember that!” She exclaimed. “We did set off fireworks!”

 

“Although now that I think about it, maybe they were flares,” Selphie mused. “That red light...”

 

“I'm surprised _you_ remember,” said Irvine, grinning at Zell. “You didn't set off any fireworks at all. You went off and tattled on us.”

 

“Well, kids aren't supposed to play with fireworks,” Zell retorted. “Especially not for a game called 'Wizard Battle'.”

 

A weird shiver went over the group.

 

“Wizard Battle...” Selphie repeated, her eyes narrowing in concentration.

 

“Oh my goodness, why does that sound so familiar?” Quistis whispered, pressing her temples.

 

“Because it was the best game ever,” said Irvine, making the girls glance at him. “You take one of those exploding fireworks, count off ten paces, light 'em up, and then try to dodge the fireballs that fly off the end.”

 

“No, that is a _terrible_ game!” Quistis exclaimed, eyes going huge. “Who thought that was a good game?”

 

Now Irvine was grinning. “Three guesses.”

 

“Well, obviously a boy,” said Selphie, looking at Irvine meaningfully, but he just laughed.

 

“And one who has no respect for authority,” said Quistis, folding her arms.

 

“Chicken,” said Zell suddenly. When they looked at him strangely, his eyes started to narrow and he said, “I mean... A boy who thinks that other boys who don't play the game are chicken. Chicken!” He suddenly yelled and shook his fists, shouting, “No! Are you kidding me?”

 

“Looks like you got it,” said Irvine with a grin.

 

“Auuugh!” Zell kicked a rock. “Uuuugh, I didn't want to remember that! Friggin' archenemy.”

 

“Who?” Selphie asked blankly.

 

“Seifer,” said Squall unexpectedly. When they turned to look at him, Squall said, “Seifer called him chicken. And then later, chicken-wuss.”

 

“How do you know that?” Selphie asked, but Quistis was already staring at Squall. He caught her look and nodded.

 

“Yeah,” said Squall softly. “I was there too.”

 

“Except for Rinoa, we all were,” said Irvine, making assorted cries of shock go over the group.

 

“Now I remember you,” exclaimed Quistis softly, looking at Squall with wide eyes. “You were always by yourself. Waiting for... For Sis.”

 

“Yeah,” said Squall, bowing his head. “Sis... Sis Elle. Except now I know her name is...Ellone.”

 

“Wait, what?” Zell demanded. “Sis... Is Ellone? Ellone is Sis?”

 

“I remember Sis!” Selphie exclaimed. “She was older than us... And really nice. Like a real big sister would be.”

 

“This is really weird,” said Zell, raking his hand through his hair. “Why's Irvine the only one who remembers all of this?”

 

“Well, you and I were obviously both adopted...” said Selphie, looking at Zell. “I think I was adopted when I was around... Five?”

 

“Five,” said Irvine firmly. “The day you went off with your new folks, I cried all day.”

 

“Oh, Irvy...”

 

“Okay, okay, so... So maybe that's why we don't remember, we had too much fun,” said Zell, completely oblivious to Selphie touching Irvine's face with a tender little smile. “And I don't think my folks ever once told me I was adopted, so... Quistis?”

 

Quistis shifted uncomfortably. “I was adopted out, but... Things happened. So I'm not surprised I don't remember. I know I came to Balamb Garden when I was ten, and that's when I re-met Seifer and Squall.” She looked at Squall, who nodded slowly. “You two were always fighting.”

 

“Yeah,” said Squall, nodding with new understanding. “And you always used to break us up.”

 

“That's right,” said Quistis, nodding slowly. Memories she could recall clearly made her shake her head, saying, “Ooh, even at that age he always needed to be the center of attention, and I remember how crazy he'd get when you ignored him. He'd pick on you and you would cry and then fight back because... Oh...” Quistis's voice became soft with pathos. “You always said, 'If I don't take care of myself, I won't be able to see Sis again...'”

 

Squall shrugged, looking embarrassed. “I didn't really remember Sis until just now,” he confessed. “Or anything before the past five years, really. It just... Never came up.”

 

“But that's so strange,” said Quistis, touching her hand to her face. “If nothing else, you and Seifer should have remembered your shared childhood. Essentially, you two were never apart. But you never said anything about it...”

 

“And neither did he,” said Squall. He rubbed his scar, saying, “It doesn't make sense.”

 

“I got a theory,” said Irvine, making everyone look at him. “Three words. Guardian. Force. Usage.”

 

“That's a conspiracy theory,” said Quistis, annoyed.

 

“Then why do I remember when the rest of y'all don't?” Irvine asked pointedly.

 

“Maybe you just have a freaky good memory,” said Zell with a shrug. “I don't think normal people remember stuff from when they were four.”

 

“And I remember plenty about my childhood,” said Quistis, her lips thinning as memories of her abusive adoptive parents came back.

 

“Oh yeah?” Irvine looked at her archly. “What'd your adopted folks' house look like? What was the street you lived on? What were their _names?”_

 

Quistis opened her mouth, but nothing came out because there wasn't anything there. There was a _space_ that made absolutely no sense, a terrifying blankness that was all the more painful for knowing something should have been there.

 

“ _I don't remember names, but I remember how much they scared me... Their most terrifying threats... I know they used to lock me in the dark, but I don't remember if it was a closet or a cellar or even the trunk of a car... I know they shaved my head because my hair used to be short, but that's only because it's on my medical file and I see it when I get my checkups...”_

 

Quistis bit her lip, cold unrest settling in her chest. Irvine looked at her and nodded knowingly; he could tell she was rattled.

 

“D'you suppose Seifer remembers all of this too?” Selphie asked abruptly, making everyone pause. “I mean... I'm pretty sure he doesn't, because otherwise he'd interact with us differently, right?”

 

“Not in my case,” said Zell, folding his arms and scowling. “Pain in the ass either way.”

 

“ _He'd interact with us differently...”_ Something about that sentence made Quistis tilt her head. 

 

“ _You know why I wanted to be a SeeD, Quistis? It's because a long time ago, someone I cared very, very much about left me. I'm strong enough to stay with her now, and take care of her, like she took care of me.”_

 

“ _Are you talking about Edea? When did she ever take care of you, Seifer?”_

 

“ _You... Even you. I'm not surprised that idiot forgot, but you...”_

 

“Hey... Guys?” Quistis asked slowly as memories seemed to push together with almost tangible effort. “Do you remember... Matron?”

 

“Matron...Oh!” Selphie nodded. “Yeah! She was so nice.”

 

“Yeah, and really pretty,” said Zell, nodding.

 

“Graceful,” murmured Squall. “And kind.”

 

“And always wearing black, right?” Quistis asked, glancing around. Irvine caught her eye and as soon as she met his gaze, something seemed stop in her chest. He'd already known about their past, so more than likely... Irvine already knew... Didn't he?

 

“Hey...” Selphie said, sounding troubled. “I just... I just thought of Matron's face...”

 

“Yeah...” said Zell, looking perturbed. “Me too. And... Uh...”

 

“No,” said Squall, shaking his head. “No. It can't be.”

 

“Yes it can,” said Irvine implacably. “Matron's real name is Edea Kramer. Matron is... The Sorceress.”

 

“And you knew,” said Quistis, looking at Irvine as cries of shock went around the group again. “It's why you missed the shot during the assassination, isn't it?”

 

Irvine nodded, half sad and half defiant. “I just... I couldn't do it. I hadn't seen her since I was about six, but I just couldn't, not after everything...”

 

“I thought you choked,” said Squall, looking at him. “But... You couldn't kill your mother.”

 

“I couldn't kill _our_ mother.”

 

Quistis covered her face. She didn't know what to feel.

 

“ _Seifer remembered. He must have. Otherwise why would he have turned so quickly? But then... Why didn't he say anything? Why didn't Seifer at least try to explain? Something isn't right... And it's not just Edea being the Sorceress and Matron at the same time...”_

 

“What happened?” Selphie whispered. “Why... Why did it turn out like this?”

 

“Something must have happened to Matron,” said Zell, rocking on his heels a little. “That's the only explanation. Man!” He punched the ground, frustrated. “This sucks! Why do we have to fight Matron?”

 

“She's not Matron right now,” said Squall, making them look at him. “She's... Look, it doesn't matter. It doesn't change what we have to do. Or do we want this to happen again?” He asked, gesturing at the graveyard. As Selphie flinched and Zell sighed, Squall said, “I'm not happy about it either. But we can't do nothing. We can't run from her because it's _uncomfortable.”_

 

“I know, I know...” said Zell, shaking his head. “But... I kind of wish I didn't know, you know?” He looked at Irvine. “Why would you...?”

 

“Because you deserve to know,” said Irvine, his voice soft but strong. “We all do. We all need to know what is at stake. I'm with Squall, this fucking sucks, but... Look, we know that the Gardens and SeeD were Matron's idea, right? And that Cid said she was always afraid of this happening, right? If it has to be anyone who has to fight her, I'd rather it be us. We love her. We know she'd hate this, right?”

 

“Right...” whispered Quistis. But she wasn't seeing Irvine or any of her friends, she was looking out of a doorway while little boy Seifer slid a silver bracelet onto his wrist over and over, and Matron coming to sit by him and touch his soft red-blonde hair. She saw Matron wrap her arms around that troubled, bullying child and hug him until he cried.

 

And Quistis couldn't tell where the pain in her chest was coming from, then or now.

 

“Fate brought us together,” said Irvine, hugging Selphie a bit more tightly as he looked around the group. “And I'm taking it as a sign that we stick together, no matter what happens. When you're a kid, you can't do much on your own, but I know that I'm here today because of the choices that I made. Sometimes I had a bunch and sometimes I only had one, but the point is, I'm here because I _chose_ to be. And I... I'm choosing to fight the Sorceress. Because that is what Matron would want.”

 

“Yeah...” said Selphie, nodding slowly. “It is what she would want.”

 

Zell sighed heavily. “Man... This sucks. But someone's gotta do it.”

 

Squall looked at Rinoa. “It's up to you,” he told her. “Whatever you want to do. For us, I don't think we can move on unless we fight. And... If that makes any sense at all, come with us. I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say that's... That's what we'd want.”

 

Rinoa's eyes were dark and troubled, but as she opened her mouth Selphie pointed upwards.

 

“Look,” she called, making everyone glance up. “A gift from the faeries!”

 

Quistis caught a snowflake on the tip of her glove. She tried to study the tiny crystal, but it melted away like almost all of her childhood memories. She'd never wanted to hold onto the past before this moment.

 

“ _I don't want to have to fight,”_ thought Quistis, the strange new thought ringing like a bell in her soul. _“I wish I didn't have to fight Matron or Seifer. But... Squall is right. We can't run forever. And as blissful as ignorance is, it's still ignorance. I would never want to live my life that way...”_

 

“Let's go to the orphanage,” said Quistis, looking around the group. “Maybe we can find a clue about why... Why things are the way they are.”

 

“Definitely,” said Irvine, nodding. “And it might be nice to clap eyes on the old homestead before...”

 

“Whatever we find isn't going to change the present,” said Squall, making everyone nod. “But maybe it'll put the past to rest. Let's go.”

 

They walked out of the cemetery. Squall brought up the rear and at the last second, turned and look at Rinoa over his shoulder. She was standing among the tombstones, holding her arm tightly as her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

 

“You're all fearless,” she whispered before she started to walk after them.

 

“No,” said Squall, his eyes dropping to the ground, “Not at all.”

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: One of the biggest problems that I have with writing AU-fic is when I have to adapt game script into fanfic context. It makes me think of music. An AU-fic is like a harmony above the source material's melody, and you got these great chords and accents that make you appreciate the melody more. And then sometimes you gotta get very, very close to the source material, and instead of a third or a fourth, you got a second. You got dissonance. And sometimes that's cool and sometimes it's awful and painful.  
  
In any case, I hope my retelling/rewriting of a pivotal scene wasn't too boring or skippable. It's important to set up these moments for later.

 

And my mental image for Dr. Obavva is a combination of Aishwarya Rai and King Aminah Scott.

 

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	13. Chapter 13

2 May 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

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Fujin picked her way over the uneven ground. In the years since Edea's orphanage had been abandoned, the harsh weather on the Cape of Good Hope had reduced what she could tell had been a nice building to a sandblasted ruin. Seifer flitted through the remnants of the building like a ghost, staring at rooms that must have been significant at some time before moving on. She wondered what he was seeing, not just here but at all times. He had always been so strange, living half in the present and half in the future—when I'm a SeeD, when I'm an adult, when I'm world-famous and everybody knows my name. To see him obsessing over the past was...uncomfortable. Obsessing over the past was what Fujin and Raijin had done, and Seifer's eternal gaze toward _now_ and the future had helped them more than they'd ever been able to say.

 

Raijin hovered near the front of the ruin; he told Fujin that walking in the ruins made him feel like he was walking among the dead, and Fujin could understand why even as she followed Seifer around the broken building. She made allowance for Seifer's memories, which seemed very loud to him; he would stop and stare for no reason whatsoever, shake his head, and then move on. There was a strange hunger in him, but for what Fujin did not know.

 

Eventually Seifer went down to the beach. The lighthouse at the end of the Cape had been commandeered by G-Army to search for Ellone, but it still operated the same. Seifer stared at the tall white structure for what seemed like a solid ten minutes.

 

“It was a nice place,” said Fujin as the waves rolled softly on the shore. She saw Seifer's shoulders twitch. “I can tell it was nice. Big rooms. Well loved. Were you happy?”

 

“Yeah,” he said, his voice barely a whisper on the wind. “I had brothers and sisters... A mother and a father... I was happy.”

 

“Are you happy now? Being here?”

 

“I want to be,” said Seifer, looking down at the sand. “I don't think I know how. Fujin... What's... Am I...”

 

“ _Am I making a mistake?”_ Fujin could almost hear him saying. It was so hard for Seifer to admit he was wrong aloud. He'd make up for bad decisions with actions over a thousand times before actually saying anything.

 

Suddenly Fujin knew why Seifer was standing here on this beach, why he kept searching through an empty broken house. Why he never stopped moving. Why he didn't sit and think anymore. On a level that Seifer probably denied with every level of his being, Seifer was scared... And he wanted to go home.

 

Fujin took a step toward him, but the light tapping of steps above her head made her turn and she sneered as a Galbadian soldier appeared over the top of the steps. Seifer turned around, the unease slipping underneath the mask of the mad knight.

 

“What is it?” Seifer demanded, his voice harsher than it should have been.

 

“There's something you need to see back at the Garden.”

 

Seifer nodded curtly and started to walk. It was a hard walk, a brittle walk. Fujin fell into step behind him, her heart slowly clenching in her chest. When they exited the orphanage, Raijin caught up next to her and looked at her questioningly. She mouthed the word 'later' as they hiked back to the looming red hulk of Galbadia Garden.

 

“Guys,” said Seifer as they entered the structure. “Take a rest. I'll be busy for a while.”

 

“OKAY,” said Fujin when Raijin opened his mouth to object. She took the brawny teen's arm and pulled him away; Seifer never stopped walking. And in a short time he stood on the top observation deck of Galbadia Garden, which at one time had been the balcony outside Martine's office.

 

“Right there on the horizon, Sir Seifer,” said the soldier, handing Seifer the telescope. As Seifer put the device to his eye and saw a familiar blue and gold structure, the soldier asked, “Orders?”

 

“Pull everyone back from the search,” said Seifer. “If that Garden moves as fast as ours, we have about four hours.”

 

“Four hours until what?”

 

“Until we fight,” said Seifer, handing the telescope back to the soldier. His veins were thrumming with excitement and he could almost smell his enemies coming to him. The malaise that had haunted him in the old orphanage and the beach seemed to burn off in waves he could nearly see.

 

Edea was in the conference room with three captains, crossing off areas of Centra where they had searched for Ellone and found nothing. When Seifer entered, she glanced at him and then straightened, her eyes glowing.

 

“They're coming,” he said to her, oblivious to the captains looking confused. “I don't know how they found us, but they're going to engage. What do you want me to do?”

 

“Whatever you need to,” said Edea, smiling slowly. Seifer's chest swelled with love, pride, and the seeming scent of blood in his nostrils.

 

“You,” he said, pointing at each of the captains with every set of orders. “Put the entire Garden on alert and get everyone armed for a battle against Balamb Garden. Assemble all our jetcyclists and the paratroopers. You, stick all the juniors in the dorm wing with the G-SeeDs we have and lock them in; we don't need _more_ chaos on the ground. And you, get me Fujin and Raijin yesterday.”

 

They saluted sharply and ran off. Edea drew her clawed hand lightly over the map.

 

“They must know where she is...” Edea murmured.

 

“Then we'll beat it out of them,” said Seifer.

 

She looked at him sidelong. “Such a bloodthirsty knight.”

 

“It's what I'm good for,” said Seifer with a smirk.

 

Edea turned to face him, leaning slightly on the table. “It is, isn't it? Then... I want you to do something for me.”

 

“Anything.”

 

“Bring me the head of Cid Kramer.”

 

It was as sudden and sharp as being poked in the eye. Seifer stared. “Can... Can I ask why?”

 

“He is the beloved figurehead of Balamb Garden,” said Edea, looking back at the map. “With his death, the morale of those who oppose me will be... Crushed.” She smiled.

 

Seifer struggled. Edea knew what was best, but Cid was her husband and the closest thing to a father that Seifer knew, albeit an absentminded and plain old absent father.

 

“You do not wish to obey me, Seifer?”

 

“That's not it,” said Seifer, shaking his head even as apprehension chilled his core. “It's... Well, I think it would be more effective if—”

 

She held her finger to her lips, making him fall silent.

 

“My dear knight,” she said softly, sweetly. “You are eager. And you are young. Allow me to guide you into the man you are meant to be.”

 

“But—”

 

Her eyes flashed. Seifer flinched even though a small part of him bristled at her reaction.

 

“You have cast aside many of your weaknesses,” said Edea, coming toward him. “But a certain sentimentality remains that will be your undoing. If I told you to bring me the head of a classmate... Or a friend... Well, it is just as well for you that I have no need of them.”

 

Seifer said nothing. Without meaning to, he imagined how he'd react if Edea had said, “Bring me the head of Quistis Trepe.” A surge of panic and protective violence roiled in his chest, making him feel vaguely lightheaded and nauseous. Even after her underhanded escape in prison, he still felt so strongly...

 

“ _It's respect. It's admiration,”_ Seifer told himself, swallowing to settle the unease. “ _If she was fighting with us instead of against us, we'd have everything done already. I think I could still recruit her if I had the time...”_

 

“You're thinking of someone,” said Edea, making Seifer blink and look at her.

 

“...just old acquaintances,” he said, shaking his head. He didn't want to sound like a lovestruck fool.

 

“And who has such a strong hold on my knight's heart?” Edea asked, tilting her head.

 

Seifer flinched at the perceived accusation in her voice. “It's not like that. I was... Infatuated. For a while. It's not important anymore.”

 

“Ah... The blonde girl.” Edea smiled, though the expression did not reach her eyes. “Quistis. She said she loved you.”

 

“It was just a crush,” said Seifer even as the emotions seemed to churn in his chest. It was physically starting to hurt now.

 

“So you could kill her, then?”

 

Seifer opened his mouth, but no words came out as his breath stalled and his heart seemed to stop. Seifer instead swallowed hard as Edea kept looking at him, her expression deepening into displeasure.

 

“Who is the most important person to you, my knight?”

 

“You are,” he said, stunned she would even ask. And at the same time afraid she _would_ ask him to kill anyone else who came to mind.

 

“It is easy enough to say such things...” said Edea, coming close. She was just within the invisible line of 'too close', though Seifer was sure she'd take amiss if he stepped back. When she raised her hand, his eyes automatically went to the elegant claws tipping her graceful fingers. He felt points of fire burn all over his body and unconsciously his breath became shallow. _“If you love me, you won't resist.”_

 

“Yet I must admit, I doubt your purity,” said Edea, setting one diamond-sharp claw on his lower lip. Her eyes were the color of molten gold, even seeming to radiate a physical heat that was beyond approach or comprehension. “I can see the traces of that blonde girl on your lips, my knight. And elsewhere.”

 

Seifer stiffened, mortified and also badly confused as Edea dragged her fingertip from his mouth down his neck and down the center line of his body, resting briefly over his heart before going lower. This wasn't right. She was his _mother._ Seifer started to lean back, but the heat in her eyes flared and he stayed very still, particularly as he felt her claw skim the thin margin between his shirt and his belt. It often rode up when he was in motion, but Seifer had never really paid much attention to it until now, when Edea traced the top of his belt line with a peculiarly avid look in her eyes. Seifer shut his, feeling sick.

 

“I doubt your dedication,” she said, making another roil of discomfort surge through him. “You let them escape from the prison, didn't you?”

 

“No.”

 

“I am very disappointed, Seifer.”

 

Seifer clenched his hands into fists. He didn't know what to do or say. Seifer felt his legs trembling and almost considered falling to his knees before Edea. Would that be enough to let her know he was sorry?

 

“And...” said Edea in a purr that he'd heard from girls his own age, one that in a mother's voice made him cringe. “I think—”

 

There was a sharp line of pain across Seifer's low abdomen that made him jump, and when he looked down, Edea was studying her hand. Her index claw had a tiny bead of blood on the end of it, initially making Seifer alarmed until he realized that she had scratched him. But she said nothing about that, just frowned at her hand as it locked up and trembled, like it was fighting to get away from her. After what seemed like a long moment, Edea flexed her long fingers and exhaled forcefully. She looked up at Seifer and for a moment, her eyes seemed more amber than gold. More familiar. Seifer exhaled in relief even as her eyes went back to hot gold.

 

“It's alright, my dear boy,” said Matron—the real Matron. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down into a mother's hug, enveloping him in warmth and comfort. Despite everything, Seifer relaxed even as her voice changed subtly once more. “I'll give you one more chance to prove where your heart lies...”

 

Footsteps and the hiss of a door opening made Seifer glance over his shoulder and Fujin and Raijin came in. Both of them looked stunned to see Edea holding him, but too much so to say a word. Edea chuckled softly under her breath and let go, taking a few steps back.

 

“Prepare our base for the battle, my dear knight,” said Edea, looking back at her map. “And destroy every single one of them.”

 

That he could do. “Yes, Edea.” Nodding at Fujin and Raijin, he left the conference room to check on the troop mobilization. If he was breathing a little hard and looked somewhat pale, Fujin and Raijin didn't let him know it. There were other, more important things to talk about anyway.

 

“Hey, is it true?” Raijin asked as they went down the hall. “We're going to fight Balamb Garden?”

 

“Yep,” said Seifer, anticipation making his veins thrum again. This was simple and clean. He could do this. “That's what happens when the missiles don't hit.”

 

“BUT... HOME.”

 

“Not anymore.”

 

“Seifer...” Raijin said, making Seifer glance at him. “Looking for some girl is one thing. But this is, like... It's crossing a line, man. Ya know? Do we have to?”

 

Seifer turned and faced them both. “Do not do this to me now,” he said, glaring at them both. He was unaware he was shaking even though Fujin and Raijin could see the hem of his coat trembling. “Not when I need you more than ever.”

 

They shifted uncomfortably. “It just doesn't feel right,” said Raijin, rubbing the back of his neck. “We grew up there. And yeah, they were shits to us, but...”

 

“HOME.”

 

Seifer shook his head, irritated. “No it wasn't. They weren't _just_ shits to us, remember? No matter what we did, we were _always_ the outcasts. Whenever shit went wrong, who'd they look at first? Us. Always us.”

 

He pointed at Fujin. “Crazy.”

 

He pointed at Raijin. “Creepy.”

 

He pointed at himself. “Jackass.

 

“They call us that to our _faces,_ after we worked for them, kept peace in their halls, kicked out drugs and alcohol and all the shit that dared to get in, and they _still_ disrespect us. You wanna defend that?”

 

“I'm not saying none of that ever happened, Seifer, but they don't deserve to die for it!” Raijin retorted, his face darkening with a flush. He grabbed Seifer's arm. “This isn't like you. Come on.”

 

“Fuck Balamb Garden,” Seifer spat at Raijn, making the taller man jump. It wasn't the first time he'd said it, but Raijin could hear how this was the first time Seifer had actually meant it. “I'm staying where I'm actually wanted, and I will live and die for the person who actually respects me.”

 

“ **We** respect you!” Raijin started to shout, lightning starting to glimmer over his bare skin.

 

“Then don't piss me off!” Seifer shouted back, fire boiling around his free hand.

 

Fujin clapped her hands together and forced her palms apart, blasting both men with wind strong enough to knock them back a pace from each other.

 

“ENOUGH,” she snarled at both of them, making them drop their gazes to the floor. To Seifer she said, “HELP YOU. NOT HER.”

 

“Fine.” Seifer stormed down the hall. “Then keep up.”

 

Balamb Garden had the advantage in para-magic and GF's, and Seifer knew very well how deadly SeeDs could be in tight spaces. They would need to make the first move and strike hard, because though SeeDs were strong, they were few and moreover, they had to worry about protecting the junior classmen.

 

“ _We have the advantage of numbers, equipment, and training. Not to mention that our forces can fly... And Cid. She wants Cid's head... Matron wants Cid's head...”_

 

His chest hurt again. Seifer rubbed it absently as he tried to think of how to accomplish that goal.

 

“ _I can't leave her. But she wants Cid's head. So... Cid has to come to me.”_

 

So Seifer went in search of the Bastards. A legendary crew of Galbadian special force soldiers, they'd made their name in the first Sorceress War and were fortunately loyal enough to Galbadia that they could stomach serving under one. At least half (if not all) of the Galbadian soldiers who gave Seifer lip looked up to this team for inspiration and Seifer found the group of twelve in the quad, eyeing the battle preparations with lazy interest.

 

“Hey, _boy,”_ sneered the leader of the team, one Kumi Na. Cobra-thin and deadly, she never greeted Seifer while she was standing. “What's the Little Sir got for us today?”

 

“Something you'll like,” said Seifer even as he bristled at the insult. He reminded himself that Kumi Na was fifty if she was a day and would probably cark it soon. Ideally. “A real mission.”

 

“Oh yeah?” Ravi, as dark as the night, looked at Seifer sidelong as she folded her arms. “No more of this 'Ellone' bullshit?”

 

“No,” said Seifer, though privately he felt the same way about spending so much time resources looking for one girl. “Something better. Sorceress Edea wants Headmaster Cid's head on a plate.”

 

Now the Bastards stared at him, eyes alight with interest. As one, Fujin and Raijin stared at Seifer in horror.

 

“Really?” Kumi Na asked, baring her vaguely pointed teeth in a smile. “She wants _Cid Kramer?”_

 

“Cid Kramer, that's a name we haven't heard in forever,” chuckled Masters, as pale as Ravi was dark. “Not since he left us for some _bitch.”_

 

Cid Kramer had left the Bastards? Fujin and Raijin stared in shock and even Seifer blinked, looking nonplussed. Cid Kramer knew how to fight? Cid Kramer was something _other_ than a smiling guy in spectacles?

 

“Now what was her name...” Masters mused, making Seifer look at him with narrowed eyes. “Some fluffy little do-gooder girl who wanted to start up an orphanage... And she sucked away our best gunbladist to do it, didn't she? What was that cunt's name? Oh yeah, it was Ede—”

 

“Shut your face,” said Seifer, glaring as the Bastards laughed unpleasantly.

 

“What's wrong, little Sir? Can't take no jokes about yo' mamma?” challenged Masters, making the rest of the Bastards laugh.

 

“Brothers, sisters,” said Kumi Na, lazily raising her mechanical hand; she'd lost her original arm in the first war, supposedly against Adel herself. “Let's listen to the Little Sir. So Edea wants Cid's head, huh? That _is_ interesting. Guess love doesn't conquer all.”

 

“In and out,” rumbled Hale, a mountain of a man who made Raijin look like a boy. “Easy.”

 

“She wants _me_ to kill Cid Kramer,” said Seifer, now making the Bastards look at him hard. “Your orders are to capture him and bring him here.”

 

“So we spill the guts and you get the glory?” Kumi Na demanded, her eyes sparking. “I don't think so, boy. You want him? You go get him.”

 

“I can't leave her,” said Seifer, gritting his teeth. Inside he raged, _“Not when she's surrounded by fuckers like you! You'd kill her if you got the chance, wouldn't you? That's probably why you stick around even hating her as much as you do!”_

 

And personal reasons aside, it was very easy to imagine that Martine or some other bigwig in the Galbadian Army who didn't properly respect Edea assigning the Bastards this detail specifically to undermine and maybe kill her. Seifer's veins swelled with protective rage, making the edges of his vision turn slightly red.

 

“Aww, the apron strings aren't long enough,” cooed one Bastard to another. That was _it._ Without thinking, Seifer surged at the Bastards, who were instantly on their feet with weapons bristling, but Raijin grabbed him by his collar and dragged him back even as Fujin threw herself in front of him, arms wide and single eye glowing with protectiveness. Around them, the Galbadian army soldiers paused, riveted by the standoff.

 

“Bother someone else, boy,” said Kumi Na, flicking at him irritably with the hand that hadn't transformed into a machine gun. She alone was still sitting, insouciantly confident in her ability to kill. “I'm sure someone on this tub would be willing to do your homework for you.”

 

“SCARED?” Fujin taunted, but Kumi Na just laughed.

 

“Of what? A gunbladist _way_ past his prime?” Kumi Na inspected her nails. “Cid Kramer... I've seen pictures of him nowadays. He's a cream puff. No point in getting messy over junk food.”

 

“THEN GO.”

 

“Nah.” Kumi Na cocked her head at a low whistle from her group, and for some reason everyone laughed. It was rumored that the Bastards communicated with particular whistles just like that one, though what they were saying was anyone's guess.

 

“Pick your freaking battles, man,” Raijin growled softly to Seifer, pulling him just a bit away from the group as the blond's temper threatened to get away from him again. “You wanna look stupid in front of the whole army? That's how it's gonna look, ya know.”

 

“ _I know,”_ Seifer thought furiously. Shaking off Raijin's grip, Seifer straightened his coat as Fujin looked at him sidelong. He gave her a short nod, making her drop her arms and back up as he took a moment to compose himself. He was Sir Seifer Almasy, the Sorceress's Knight. And he did not do power struggles with peons.

 

“You're going to bring me Cid Kramer because that's what the Sorceress wants,” said Seifer to Kumi Na, whose face hardened. “The Sorceress gave the order. Not me. So the Sorceress demands that you... Go and capture... CID! FUCKING! KRAMER!”

 

Seifer's roar echoed around the quad, making all battle preparations still. The Bastards stared Seifer down, utterly impassive even as he boiled with frustrated rage. The only obvious motion was Kumi Na cocking her head, her knife-slits of eyes harder than any blade as she unconsciously flashed back to the first time she had seen Sorceress Edea. Such a change from the innocent little chit she remembered. So much more interesting, and yet...

 

“ _Edea killed Vinzer Deling on national television and no one cared. In fact, everyone who didn't know her personally seemed to think she was the_ shit, _whereas the Edea I remember never would have done such a thing. She was too nice and sweet... Sickeningly so. Something changed... Something not good. And if Edea can whack a dictator without blinking an eye, then she sure as shit wouldn't pause for the Bastards. Fucking A, my team doesn't live through a war and 17 years of blah time just to get whacked by a witch with a whim! And now she wants Cid 'Traitor' Kramer... Well, that's pretty damn sweet._ He _was the one who made the choice to leave.”_

 

“The Sorceress demands,” Kumi Na said finally, her voice cool. As her gun-arm reformed into a hand, the rest of the Bastards stood down. “So. What's the approach, _Sir Seifer_?”

 

Seifer straightened, the burning hostility in his black eyes simmering down to make them wine-dark instead. “SOP holds that the Headmaster holes up in the 3rd floor office,” he said, his voice calming down with every word until he sounded normal again. “There's going to be three pushes. You'll get in on the second after everything's softened up and get out on the third when they can't see anything but getting out alive. I assume you can take paratrooper rigs?”

 

“Don't teach us how to suck eggs,” Ravi muttered, her dark brown eyes seething with temper.

 

“The Sorceress demands,” repeated Kumi Na, making the Bastards shift in place. To Seifer, she said, “We'll see you around... Boy.”

 

Fujin and Raijin let out a breath as the Bastards filed out of the quad, but only when they were completely gone did battle preparations start up again.

 

Time seemed to melt away after that. When everything was in place, Seifer went back to Edea and found her in her chambers, waiting for him with her hands folded in her lap.

 

“It's all set,” he said to her. “We're ready for the attack.”

 

“Good,” said Edea. “Come here, my knight. I would have you prevail against the marauders.”

 

Seifer approached. He started to kneel, but as he bowed his head Edea leaned forward and caught his face with her long talon-tipped gloves, tilting his face until he gazed into her eyes. Her golden gaze with their strange, irregular pupils seemed to draw him in. Seifer didn't realize he was literally leaning in until he felt Edea's lips on his mouth.

 

“ _The FUCK?”_

 

He started to pull away but her talons were still against his face, pressing delicately but deliberately against the nape of his neck and his temples. At the same point in time something that crackled like lightning and burned like fire seemed to race from her lips to his, flooding every vein and capillary with a sensation that skirted the line between pain and pleasure. For a moment, Seifer couldn't breathe, couldn't see, couldn't feel anything but the most intimate, terrifying invasion he'd ever experienced. He could almost feel the power wrapping around his brainstem and setting his mind on fire, incinerating the shock and revulsion that had come over him at the first touch of Edea's lips. Now there was nothing there but an empty ache, a crying need for purpose. Unconsciously Seifer opened his mouth, silently begging for one, and a low chuckle that did not seem at all like Matron's purred through his lips and throat.

 

Then Edea let him go and Seifer came back to himself with a hard gasp, the air suddenly seeming too cold and too humid at the same time. He dropped to his knees, clutching his arms as he tried to hold onto the strangeness closeness he now craved. Every cell in Seifer's body seemed to burst open and then reform, filling his veins with a strange, painless heat that seemed weirdly familiar.

 

“What the hell?!” He heard Raijin roar distantly. The pounding of his feet and Fujin's more rapid patter sounded like someone punching pillows. But as slow as his senses seemed, his mind itself was fast.

 

“Stop,” he croaked, managing to raise his hand. If they charged Edea, even out of concern for him, they would die. As he heard them skid to a halt, he coughed out, “M'fine.”

 

With every passing moment the power seemed more like a natural part of his body and in a second Seifer stood up feeling stronger and healthier than he had in months. Experimentally he made a fist and almost felt mountains crushing between his fingers.

 

“Yeah...” said Seifer slowly, looking at Edea. She had never looked so beautiful or as powerful as she did in this moment. He could sense the strength in her, overwhelming and beyond comprehension, flaring around her head in a horned crown and fanning behind her in waves like wings. Seifer drowned in it and breathed in it, needed it to be truly alive.

 

Then she smiled at him with lips as red as blood, baring her teeth like she wanted to eat him alive, and Seifer would have happily leapt into her mouth.

 

“Let us begin,” she whispered, her voice seemingly splitting into two; a mother's love strengthened him, a partner's ambition spurred him on. “My dear, brave knight...”

 

“...yes, Ultimecia...” Seifer breathed, tears welling up in his eyes.

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: One of my writing teachers told me, 'do not ever try to write a crazy person. You have no idea how they think'. That is true, I do not. That is why the effect I am going for is unreliable and chilling. I hope I pulled it off.

 

Portrait of Cid as a young soldier: http://klepto-maniac0.tumblr.com/post/127584805027/cid-in-his-late-teensearly-20s-when-he-was-still#notes

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	14. Chapter 14

4 May 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

“Orders, Commander?” Xu asked, looking at Squall solemnly. There was not enough room on the bridge for everyone who needed to be there, so they stood in the modified Headmaster's Office, now changed into a rough command center. Squall folded his arms tightly and looked around, trying to prioritize with a mind that refused to settle.

 

“ _No matter what happens, people are going to die. So I have to minimize losses.”_

 

“Nida says they're coming at us,” said Squall, swallowing. “Which means we have about two hours, even taking all evasive action. What do we have?”

 

Quistis straightened her reading glasses, reading off a tablet that had used to be Xu's. “161 SeeDs, 175 seniors, 275 juniors and wards combined. 50% of our SeeDs are currently junctioned to one or more GF's.”

 

“We also have the Garden's automatic defenses, but they were never meant to handle this amount of people,” said Xu, making everyone look at her in surprise. “If we turn them on and have fighting in the halls, we'll have friendly fire casualties left and right.”

 

Squall nodded, his mind's whirl tightening. He looked at Irvine and Rinoa, who had come up to the command center on his request.

 

“You two are the most familiar with the capabilities of the Galbadian army,” said Squall, nodding at them. “What can we expect?”

 

“I can't imagine they'd want to fight over open water like this without at least having paratroopers,” said Irvine, narrowing his eyes a little in thought.

 

“Yeah, we saw them training when we went to G-Garden,” said Rinoa, nodding. She thought about her father's troop deployment papers, which she always looked at when she had the opportunity to break into his office. “And if they're using paratroopers, then jetcyclists are probably a thing we should worry about too... They're supposed to be used for the plains, but they can fly for short distances and the jetcycles themselves are packed with weaponry. Pretty dangerous.”

 

“In the regular army, grunts aren't taught to think for themselves,” said Irvine, folding his arms. “Aim for the officers and everyone will run like idiots unless they're special forces.”

 

“It's the Sorceress's mobile base,” said Xu, her mouth thinning. “Let's count on all the best Galbadia has to offer being there.”

 

Squall looked at Xu. “Galbadian SeeDs... Where do you think they'll stand?”

 

Xu folded her arms tightly and looked away. “I wish I knew. G-Garden's always been a really weird place and you know how nationalistic they all are. Let's assume we have to fight against them too.”

 

Everyone sighed a bit but nodded.

 

Squall's whirling mind tightened to a slim drill of purpose. As he saw it, there were only a few priorities.

 

  1. Protect the junior classmen. Everyone under 15 fell under this category.

  2. Fight defensively but aggressively. If Balamb Garden was too hard a nut to crack, the Galbadian Army would have no choice but to back off.

  3. Use what advantages they had, namely para-magic and GF's. And some other odd specialties...




 

“Move all the juniors into the basement,” said Squall. “We can block off the basement from the main floor easily enough. Assuming they're coming after our Garden, the command center and the bridge will be high-priority targets, so we'll need people around the elevator up here and down on 1F. Yes, Dr. Kadowaki?”

 

Dr. Kadowaki put her hand down, her eyes serious. “Originally the Garden was a much smaller structure,” she said. “And all the sections can be closed off with blast doors.”

 

“Good idea,” said Squall, nodding. “Xu, can you make that happen?”

 

Xu nodded. “The controls for that are in this very office.”

 

“What's their angle of approach?” Zell asked; he was shadowboxing at the back of the room out of nerves. Next to him, Selphie was standing with her head cocked attentively, seemingly still but instead vibrating with a fine focus.

 

Squall tried to think about the most obviously vulnerable areas. “...Front Gate. Secret Area at the back of the Training Center. Glass walls above the cafeteria. I'm not going to worry about 2F... Quistis, how many SeeDs have explosives or trap training?”

 

“75.”

 

“Then have them trap every single room on 2F, status and deadly in that order,” he said. “Let's soften them up.” Unconsciously he exhaled when Quistis gave him a little nod of approval and Xu gave him a little half-smile of respect.

 

Dean Zama held up one overlarge hand, delicately lifting his finger. Since the crisis had been announced, he'd set aside his large yellow headdress and now looked at everyone head-on. Squall looked at him, already used to the sight of his strange face.

 

“Yes, Dean Zama?”

 

“I and the other two Shumi on staff possess blue magic,” said Zama, making Squall look at him strangely. “I wish to release the monsters from the Training Center. We can make it so they will not attack the students or the SeeDs. We can also create some... Extra creatures.”

 

“Extra?” Squall asked, frowning. “Like what?”

 

“Do Galbadians still skew more toward physical combat?” asked Zama of Irvine and Rinoa.

 

“Yeah,” said Irvine, Rinoa also nodding.

 

“Then Raldos would not be amiss,” said Zama to Squall, who nodded slowly; they had encountered the creatures before. “They have extremely high physical defense and their shape also makes them conducive to rolling about at high speeds, which will be deadly in tight confines. I would also like to put some creatures in the moat underneath the main floor.”

 

“Sounds good,” said Squall. “When you do that, take Quistis with you to oversee placement.”

 

“I must begin now.”

 

Squall nodded. “Then go. Quistis—”

 

Quistis handed the tablet to Xu. “Understood. Report back here when we're done?”

 

“No, I want you on the Front Gate with the main assault force,” said Squall, making her look at him in surprise. “Junction for defense. You're well-liked and highly respected among the student body. If they see you among the SeeDs, they'll fight harder.”

 

To Irvine he said, “I want you to head a team that'll be situated on the 2F hallway, half shooters and half magic specialists; rain hell from above.”

 

“Nice,” said Irvine with a slow smile. Zama and Quistis took their leave as Squall continued to assign orders, Quistis looking up at the tall nonhuman curiously.

 

“Yes, Quistis?”

 

“...I'm sorry, this is going to sound ignorant,” said Quistis, flushing. “I only ever read about Shumi in my basic blue magic classes. I'm not sure why it didn't register until now.”

 

“We mostly keep to ourselves,” said Zama as they went to the elevator. “We live in little colonies all over Trabia, the largest of which is a trading settlement near Trabia Garden.”

 

“I see... And...”

 

“You wish to speak of blue magic,” said Zama, making Quistis nod gratefully. “Totally understandable. It occurs rarely enough among the human population that there is a dearth of information for you, even here. It is good you are with me, Quistis. Perhaps you will learn something of use.”

 

“Maybe...” Hopefully. “What sorts of monsters can you create?”

 

“As long as it comes from this world, the Shumi can make it,” said Zama confidently. Quistis looked at Zama strangely.

 

“...what do you mean by that?”

 

“Have you heard of the Lunar Cry, Quistis?”

 

“Only in folklore,” said Quistis, grasping her elbows. “It's some sort of catastrophic astrological event that supposedly destroyed the Centran Empire centuries ago.”

 

“Ah,” said Zama, nodding. “Well, if that is the way you learn of it, then your confusion is understandable. Worry not. My colleagues and I are able to create a great many beasts, though truthfully we can only truly control one at a time. It is usually better to create creatures with certain parameters and impressed directives.”

 

The elevator came to a stop on the second floor and Zama serenely glided out, followed by Quistis; she had to half-run to keep up with his vastly longer legs. Zama went immediately to Mathematics and Natural History to smile at Prof. Arc and Prof. Valuo. They were both robed faculty and somewhat short, and it was semi-amusing for Quistis to see the shorter Shumi take off their disk-headdresses and leave their classes without a word, making their students exclaim in shock and then surprise as class abruptly ended.

 

“Yes, Elder?” asked both shorter Shumi when they came out into the hall.

 

“It is time to defend our new home,” said Zama, making both Shumi nod. “Follow me. Quistis, if you will advise?”

 

“What are you planning to do?”

 

“Retrain and release the monsters from the Training Center. I thought we would start with the T-Rexaurs.”

 

Quistis was not sure how that would work out, but Zama spoke with such perfect certainty that she couldn't help but be curious. She followed the Shumi back into the elevator and down to the Training Center, wondering how they were going to retrain monsters without any weapons.

 

“ _Well... Zama did say something about blue magic...”_

 

Blue magic. Her crisis talent and a curse that had followed her around her whole life. Quistis took a deep breath, unable to keep herself from remembering the vicious remarks and insults that for a while had completely made her shun her own crisis powers. It wasn't until after she'd become a SeeD and realized that the insults would _never_ stop that she'd finally accepted her own powers since nobody else would, and there was nothing quite like a Laser Eye to scare the shit out of people. The memory made her smile grimly. Since that incident, she had worked with exactly one other SeeD who'd had blue magic, and for the two missions they'd worked together, Myanna had been very nice about teaching Quistis about the limits of their shared strength. Myanna had died two years ago on assignment, though, leaving Quistis to expand on her knowledge on her own.

 

“ _I wish I knew more about how it works and what it's really capable of...”_ thought Quistis with a sigh. _“I wish there were some books I could read...”_

 

They arrived at the Training Center. Walking to the central area, Zama raised his massively oversized hands and them slammed them together in a thundering clap that made the air visibly move; at his feet, grass rippled. Arc and Valuo clapped too, standing slightly behind Zama. Their hands came apart as one and Quistis subtly caught them shifting their stances.

 

It was not hard to understand why. Quistis gasped aloud as the ground shuddered beneath her feet, irregular underneath the booming of multiple T-Rexaur feet.

 

The Shumi started to sway from side to side, waving like pieces of kelp underwater, and as the first red-black flicker of a T-Rexaur head appeared over the top of the trees, they raised their hands and turned their palms out at the incoming creatures. Quistis braced, her hand tightening around her whip handle; she couldn't keep from hissing in alarm as no less than four adult T-Rexaurs pounded their way to her group, growling softly and occasionally making warning snaps at each other. They were all huge, easily over forty feet tall, and scarred from many hit-and-run battles with weak and unprepared warriors; Quistis recognized one of them as a known student-killer, a creature she remembered from her training days as “Devil Dog” because of its fondness of seizing its prey and literally shaking it to pieces. Zama dropped his stance and then...

 

...well, there was no good word for it other than 'dance'. If there was ever a dance that only involved the hands, anyway. Quistis was captivated by the sinuous motions of the overlarge fingers, the stretched-out arms, the gentle swaying of the body. But she snapped to attention immediately once she saw white light glowing between Zama's hands, light that shimmered with rainbow hues and packed down into a tight sphere. The T-Rexuars stared at the light, the only movement being the slow swish of their massive meaty tails. With a flick of Zama's fingers, the light lifted up to be at their eye level before breaking into four pieces and flying to each massive beast, absorbing into the spot between their eyes. A visible shiver went over each monster.

 

And then, single-file, they walked out of the Training Center, ducking down in what had to be an unnatural and uncomfortable way for them to ease themselves out the door. Quistis exhaled a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding, clutching her heart.

 

“And now the Grats,” said Zama to the two smaller Shumi as the plant-beings shuffled out of the undergrowth, long tentacles waving slightly in anticipation.

 

“That was amazing,” said Quistis after the Grats had been charmed and sent out. “That was blue magic?”

 

Zama nodded. “Shumi blue magic. Humans are slightly different.”

 

Quistis nodded, knowing all too well. But to her surprise, Zama asked, “Shall I tell you a story, Quistis?

 

“Many centuries ago, a Shumi named Scholar was wandering around the coast of Trabia. All at once, there was a great blinding light that came from the sky and Scholar saw monsters rain down into the ocean. Scholar went along the coast and found many dead monsters. But Scholar also found what looked like several humans, though they were of a strange sort. Instead of the normal pink, their skin was blue. And they had claws like monsters did. Scholar woke them up and took care of them, and Scholar found that they were able to cast blue magic like the Shumi did, except their magic commanded monsters from the moon and ours commanded beings of this world. Scholar taught them to speak like everyone else did and the blue humans taught Scholar the skill of Transfiguration. Eventually the blue humans left and crossed the ocean.”

 

As Quistis blinked, Zama looked at her and smiled, saying, “We tell that story to the young ones to impress upon them that it is wise to share knowledge rather than hoard it.”

 

“What happened to the blue humans?” Quistis asked, stunned. Her appreciation of mythology was not great, but something about that particular story made a shiver go over her skin and settle into her body, resonating with something that had been neglected for so long. She didn't have biological parents or much of a past, but now she had a possible heritage.

 

“We do not know, but is it not interesting that the magic that commands monster skills is called 'blue magic' when in truth, nothing of the magic itself is a blue color?”

 

“That is interesting...” Quistis admitted. “Still... Humans from the moon? And monsters from the moon? It's rather fanciful.”

 

“Many true things are fanciful,” said Zama peaceably. “Would you like to see a Gizamaluke, Quistis? I believe three in the moat shall suffice.”

 

She had no idea what a Gizamaluke was, but the prospect of seeing more blue magic made Quistis rather excited. “Yes, please.”

 

“Very good,” said Zama, smiling. “Attend closely and you may become a true blue mage indeed.”

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: full disclosure, the developments about blue magic is one of the reasons why there is a part 3 and a part 4 of this particular universe. You have been warned. Or enticed? I hope the latter.

 

I think the Lunar Cry was just one of the hands-down weirdest things I have ever seen, and even while I was playing, I kept going “What. What.” I do not remember any sort of leadup to that particular event in the game itself (that was on the main track, anyway), so I think it makes sense for people to be skeptical about the entire notion.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	15. Chapter 15

6 May 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

  
  


Rinoa showed a certain amount of sense in waiting until everyone had filed out of the command center before looking at Squall and asking, “What about me?”

 

Squall folded his arms, his gaze falling to the side.

 

“You know I'm capable,” she said. “Where do you want me?”

 

“With the juniors,” he said, not looking at her. “In the basement.”

 

“Excuse me?” Rinoa asked, even though she had anticipated this answer. “You wanna stick me in the _basement_ with the _children?”_

 

“Someone needs to watch the juniors,” said Squall, looking at her sidelong. “And you won't be alone. SeeDs will be there too.”

 

“I get the feeling you're trying to keep me safe,” she said, putting her hands on her hips.

 

“I am,” said Squall, making her scoff. He looked directly at her as he said, “It's going to be open fighting in the halls. Basically war. I know you can hold your own in team battles, but this is going to be completely different.”

 

“I'll be fine—”

 

“ **No,** ” Squall said so firmly that Rinoa stopped in her tracks. “You do not have any idea of how bad this is going to get. You _don't._ My field test was like this and the only way I survived was by cutting my way through every _person_ that stood in my way.” He saw the dawning recognition in her eyes, but had to say, “I've been prepared to kill people my whole life. But...”

 

“ _But I don't want that darkness for you.”_

 

“But you don't have the training,” he said instead. “And I can't risk you losing your head. You're too...Valuable.”

 

“...valuable?” Rinoa repeated, looking at him with a slight smile.

 

Squall huffed. “You know what I mean. You're my employer. I can't let you get hurt.”

 

“Oh, Squall.”

 

“What?”

 

Rinoa came up to him and hugged him, draping her arms around him lightly enough that she could feel the fine tremble he'd been hiding ever since the briefing started. For a long time she didn't say anything and Squall couldn't help but take deep breaths, the light scent of her hazelnut shampoo seeming to curl into his blood like smoke and calm him down. He wanted to hold onto her but was half-afraid he wouldn't let go if he did.

 

“I'll stay with the kids,” she promised. “And I won't let myself get hurt. But you have to do something for me too.”

 

“What?”

 

“Stay alive,” she said, leaning back to look at him. His blue-grey eyes looked like the thunderclouds at the head of a rainstorm, heavy with potential. “And give me something to look forward to.”

 

“What are you talking about?” Squall asked, making Rinoa sigh and roll her eyes.

 

“Okay, let's try something else. Can I see your ring?”

 

“My ring?” Squall glanced down at his hand. He got a certain amount of flak for wearing a ring over his gloved hand, but honestly it was the only way the thing stayed on and he liked it enough that he didn't want to lose it or take it off ever. “Why?”

 

“If you let me borrow it, then I know you'll be back,” said Rinoa, making Squall look at her in surprise. “You're my valuable SeeD too. So I want insurance.”

 

“...fine,” said Squall, making Rinoa grin and step back to clap her hands. It took some wriggling but Squall finally managed to get it off his finger and hand it over to Rinoa. She took it with a smile of such open pleasure that Squall felt a surge of nervous, not-entirely-unpleasant energy go through his chest and he watched as Rinoa threaded it onto her necklace.

 

“What's the other ring on your necklace?” Squall asked, unconsciously thinking of how Quistis still wore Seifer's necklace and would touch it when she didn't think other people were looking. Rinoa had used to date Seifer... Had she asked for a ring from him too?

 

“Oh, it's my mother's,” said Rinoa, making Squall kick himself internally. “I feel like she's with me when I'm wearing it. It keeps a bit of her close to my heart, you know?”

 

_Close to her heart._ Squall unconsciously blushed. Rinoa's smile gentled and she touched his face, making him blink at her. 

 

“We'll be fine,” she said quietly. “I'll stay with the children. But when we make that final push for the Sorceress, don't leave me out, okay?”

 

“Okay,” said Squall. She'd done well during the parade and Squall knew he'd want people he trusted without reservation with him for the final assault. Rinoa patted his cheek fondly before going downstairs, not seeing as Squall unconsciously reached up to touch his face. Then with a sharp shake of his head, he went in search of Cid.

 

The Headmaster was with Xu in her office, talking quietly and seriously when Squall entered. When he came in, Cid looked up and smiled at him.

 

“Very well done, Squall,” said Cid, beaming. Squall immediately looked Cid over, not sure what he was seeing. Those _weren't_ army fatigues, right? That _wasn't_ armor on Cid's chest, was it? And that couldn't be a gunblade on his hip, could it? It looked ancient and very out of date, with an extremely slim blade and a massive hand guard that looked like the firing chambers were directly on top of the user's hand.

 

“Headmaster, you're not planning to fight, are you?” Squall asked in disbelief.

 

“This is my home,” said Cid, lacing his hands behind his back and smiling. “And the dream of myself and my wife. I do believe I will take a stand.”

 

Squall facepalmed. “Headmaster... No.”

 

“ _He's so old. He's so fat.”_

 

“The student body loves you. If you got hurt, even the SeeDs would lose morale,” said Squall, but Cid just beamed and shook his head.

 

“I'll be perfectly fine, Squall, don't you worry about me. Someone has to protect the bridge. I won't pretend that I can keep up with you youngsters, but put me in front of a choke point and I'll do well enough.”

 

“Dr. Kadowaki and I will be staying with him,” said Xu, which made Squall growl softly under his breath.

 

“ _Because Xu's going to end up doing all the work while Dr. Kadowaki makes sure Cid doesn't die from a heart attack, thus eating up three extremely valuable people.”_

 

“Headmaster, if you're dead set on defending the Garden, can I at least have you go downstairs to protect the juniors?” Squall asked, dropping his hand to look at Cid. “If you three go down there, then I can reassign the SeeDs I've posted to guard the bridge instead.”

 

“Ah! An excellent alternative,” said Cid, making Squall want to tear his hair out with Cid's obliviousness. “You're turning into a fine Commander, Squall.”

 

“ _Let's see if you say that after this battle,”_ thought Squall, his eyes dropping to the floor. _“When we have to tally up the names of the dead.”_

 

“You know he's just trying to get rid of you, right?” Xu asked softly as she, Cid, and Asano went to the elevator.

 

“Whatever his logic, I do not fault his placement,” said Cid, his voice still light but a good deal less mellow than everyone other than Xu and Asano were used to hearing. “The children _do_ need to be protected.”

 

“The children are fifty feet underground in a solid steel bunker,” said Xu irritably. “A couple of newbie SeeDs are more than enough.”

 

“I do not believe that.”

 

“There is an additional concern,” said Asano, making Xu and Cid glance at her. “Cid... Your GF. Atomos. It's not suited to the tight confines of the basement.”

 

“It will hopefully not come to that point,” said Cid, his expression darkening. “Besides, both you and Xu are equipped for such a space.”

 

“Yeah...” Xu fingered her saber. “Still. We'd be more useful up top.”

 

“I will trust the SeeDs and the older children,” said Cid, straightening his glasses.

 

They took the elevator down and swapped places with the three SeeDs Squall had originally stationed there. To the adults' surprise, Rinoa was down in the basement with her dog, Angelo, and was entertaining the children by showing them the various tricks her pet could do.

 

“Okay, dance! Angelo, dance!” said Rinoa and Angelo barked happily, swaying from side to side in a way that really did look like dancing. The children, aged six to fourteen, laughed and were utterly enchanted.

 

“Ughhh...” Xu put her hand to her face. “Babysitting. Me. The First SeeD. Babysitting.”

 

“You're too young to be so grumpy,” scolded Asano, chucking her on the arm. “Just look at the cute dog.”

 

“...It is a pretty cute dog,” Xu said grudgingly. Nevertheless that did not stop her and Asano from booby-trapping the front of the elevator and then directing all the children to move onto the opposite side of the opening just in case. Cid meanwhile went through the crowd, calming the kids as only he knew how.

 

They were downstairs for about an hour before the world suddenly boomed and tilted violently sideways, making 275 children and 4 adults cry out in shock and alarm. Several of the younger kids started to cry, knowing they were in a battle situation, but the older children calmed them, allowing the adults to focus.

 

“Headmaster?”

 

“Yes, Davven?” Cid knew every student by name, if not necessarily well.

 

“There's a couple of us in the accelerated classes who can provide support,” said the bright-eyed child, who was only a year away from being eligible for the field test. Fourteen. He was understandably eager to prove himself. Cid looked at him fondly and ruffled his hair.

 

“That is very kind,” said Cid. “And it would help us greatly if you and the other advanced students could watch the juniors and the wards for us.”

 

“W-what?” Davven looked surprise. “You... Uh...”

 

“We can't fight at full efficiency if we're worried about all of you,” clarified Asano, though Davven just looked uncertain.

 

“I meant that we could fight with you—”

 

“Kid,” said Xu sharply, making him look at her with mild annoyance. “Your time will come soon enough. Don't rush it.”

 

“Thank you for helping us,” said Rinoa, kissing Davven on the top of his head. He blushed volcano red but immediately began directing the advanced students among the juniors to start layering protecting spells on anyone they could. When a second shuddering boom threw everyone again, the impacts were much softer and the advanced students began to cast as fast as possible, adrenaline and growing fear adding speed to their movements. But not enough of it.

 

Everyone tensed as they saw the elevator come down the semi-clear shaft and a second later there was a boom and a shriek as the booby trap activated. The adults split into teams, Xu and Asano in one and Cid and Rinoa in the other. It was a deliberate choice. Cid ran more lightly around the side of the elevator shaft than a man of his age and bulk should have been able to, Rinoa keeping up, while on the other side Xu crept like a spider, a saber in one hand and throwing knives in the other. Asano quietly took out her electro-mag baton and turned it to its highest setting. The doctor hissed softly when she saw the moaning senior on the floor in front of the elevator, what looked like half her skin blasted off. On the other side, Rinoa was much less subtle and cried aloud in shock even as she threw a Curaga on the student.

 

Cid looked at the elevator. Walking in the blasted path they'd forced their hapless prisoner to create were eight semi-familiar faces, and while Cid's GF didn't let him remember names, he'd at least kept battle capabilities fresh in his mind.

 

“Hey buddy,” said the leader with her usual dreadful playfulness. “You look _awful.”_

 

“You look the same,” said Cid, smiling. “Which is not a compliment.”

 

“Ah, that razor wit... That urbanity...” She laughed, pointing at him with her mechanical hand. Cid stepped in front of Rinoa, which made her look at him in surprise. “We missed ya, Cid. Not everyone can say 'Oh dear' over a pile of corpses and make it sound good.”

 

“Perhaps I'll get the chance again today,” said Cid, sizing up his former teammates. They were all older but he did not think that had made them any less deadly. There was no other reason for 50+ year-olds to still be active otherwise.

 

“I think you might,” said the leader—Kumi Na, he finally remembered her name. Kumi Na, who had a murder wall of high-value targets after she was done with them, though it was more properly a ceiling that she woke up to and fell asleep under every night. Ugh.

 

“Your kids are cute, Cid, but they're no Bastards,” said Kumi Na, smiling dreadfully. Cid tensed up as her mechanical arm recognifigured into the gatling gun-like blaster he remembered from the war. There was no time to do anything other than blink before she aimed at the senior trying to get away on the floor and blew her head off. Rinoa screamed in horror while on the other side, undetected, Xu exhaled slowly and Asano gritted her teeth. On the other side of the elevator, some of the children weren't able to keep from shrieking in fear and Cid exhaled slowly as he saw Kumi Na's eyes flick over to where she knew they'd be. More than a few of the Bastards smiled in ways that promised terrible things, making Cid remember multiple reasons why he hated his former team to the point of never speaking about them to anyone.

 

“I assume you're after me,” said Cid, tilting his head as his blood simmered with the need for revenge. “My question to you, is it personal or professional?”

 

“Professional,” said Kumi Na with a light sneer. “You know I don't wait 20 years for _personal.”_

 

“Ah,” said Cid, nodding slowly. “So Edea sent you.”

 

“The Sorceress demands,” said Kumi Na distastefully. “With her Knight's lips. Now that's a nice little boy, Cid, he seems _real_ trainable.”

 

“Touch Seifer in that manner and I will feed you your entrails with you still living,” said Cid, his voice so mild and pleasant that it took everyone a moment to register that he'd made a threat. Except the Bastards. They laughed like the past 20 years had never happened.

 

“Oh, so you still care about him?” Kumi Na stepped forward, half the Bastards in her wake. The other four stayed around the elevator, casting a weather eye out. They did not see Xu silently scaling the elevator structure, her saber in her teeth. Meanwhile Asano listened carefully, waiting around the side where she could not be seen.

 

“Seifer has always been a good child,” said Cid calmly. “He just doesn't know what he's doing right now.”

 

“Seems to know enough to order to us to kidnap you,” said Kumi Na, jerking her head; the Bastards behind her spread out, making Rinoa drag her focus away from the brutally murdered student and pay attention to the battle. “So he can behead you personally.”

 

“What?” Rinoa gasped, staggering. “He...what?”

 

“Sorry, princess, let me slow it down,” said Kumi Na, smiling unpleasantly. “Edea told Seifer that she wanted Cid dead. Seifer sent us because he can't leave Mommy's side. Or bedside, more like. He's a good-looking boy and as much as I hate that bitch, Edea still has it going on. And they do spend an awful lot of time together with Seifer on his knees.”

 

As a palpable shudder went over Rinoa's skin, Cid merely straightened his glasses. He seemed freakishly calm.

 

“But I guess I shouldn't be surprised,” said Kumi Na, looking at Rinoa with a distinct leer. “You get to surround yourself with pretty young things, so why shouldn't she do the same?”

 

“Rinoa,” said Cid softly though barely parted lips. “What GF's do you have?”

 

“Siren and Cerberus,” Rinoa whispered back.

 

“Hm. Do you have Quake? Tornado? Meteor?”

 

“No...” Rinoa swallowed, feeling stupid. Zell had Quakes. She should have taken some from him. “Just all the 'Ara's.”

 

“Hm.” The average Bastard wouldn't care about those at all. They'd probably tickle.

 

“Now for old time's sake, I'm gonna ask you to come along nicely,” said Kumi Na, gesturing with her free hand. “Because you know sure as shit that Ekora over here doesn't mind chucking bombs onto children, and it sounds like you've got a few down here.”

 

“I do, don't I?” said Cid, sounding mild. “...Well. Fuck.”

 

Even as Kumi Na and the Bastards laughed at the ridiculousness of Cid Kramer swearing like a normal person, Asano and Xu heard the signal and were already moving. From the pockets of her labcoat, Asano pulled out two grenades and rolled out, pitching one low and one fast like she'd had to do hundreds of times during the first Sorceress War—back then, even the medics had needed to fight. The Bastards around the elevator spotted the white flash of her coat and turned, only to get a shrapnel bomb right in the face and another exploding at their knees.

 

Xu waited for the two explosions before dropping onto the survivors from above. One hard slash, fueled by 99 Firagas junctioned to her strength, beheaded two Bastards before they knew what had hit them, and a punch to the kidneys with throwing knives as terrible claws took care of another one. The surviving Bastard swung at her with an axe, half-blind in the worst way from the shrapnel bomb and all but frothing at the mouth with pain and rage, but Xu ducked and efficiently disemboweled him with her saber, slitting his throat as he fell for good measure. Blood sang in her ears and misted the air, filling her lungs with the only breath that made her feel truly alive.

 

“Rinoa, the bombs,” said Cid softly, snapping Rinoa out of her shock at the massive gore explosion behind the line of Bastards in front of her. She scanned the line and saw one of the Bastards pull two grenades from her uniform, and without thinking Rinoa swung her arm up and fired past Cid's head, slicing his cheek with the fin of her blaster edge in her haste. He didn't even flinch. And Ekora cursed and ducked as Rinoa's crescent blade sought her head and missed.

 

Kumi Na fired at Cid, who dodged and pulled Rinoa with him. Taking cover around the edge of the edge of the elevator dome as bullets flayed the air he'd just occupied, Cid gathered two spells in his hand. A man picked up a lot of interesting things when he loved a sorceress, primary of which was a certain magical efficiency that ironically enough most people needed magic to duplicate. He heard Kumi Na swear as he threw two Meltdowns at her last known position, and while he didn't hit her, Hale's distinctive roar of pain made Cid nod grimly.

 

Xu dodged the double columns of the Meltdown just in time and found herself faced with pale furious Masters, who attacked her with a telescoping pike and pinned her down in the elevator bay. Asano cast Protect on Xu but nevertheless ran for cover as Ekora chased her down, firing double pistols. Leaving Rinoa and Cid to deal with Kumi Na and Hale.

 

“Rinoa,” said Cid softly. “I will need a hundred percent of my attention for Kumi Na. Can you handle Hale?”

 

“Yes,” said Rinoa even though she wanted nothing more than to run.

 

“Good girl. He's big but fast for his size. Hopefully the Meltdowns softened him up. You _must_ stay out of his range or he will literally crush you to death.”

 

“Here Ciddy-Squiddy,” Kumi-Na called, reloading her gun-arm. “Don't tell me you're getting scared now! Or did 20 years out of the field take the spark out of the Thunder God?”

 

“I've always thought that was a silly nickname,” Cid murmured, straightening his glasses. “Ready, Rinoa?”

 

“Y-yes...”

 

“Then let's go,” said Cid, lifting his ancient-looking gunblade. Rinoa's eyes went round as the slim blade charged with white light, and with a speed that seemed beyond a man with such a belly, Cid rolled out and swung his blade at Kumi Na and Hale. A solid bolt of lightning, wider than a Thundaga, blasted down between the two Bastards and shocked through their feet, making them yell. Steeling herself, Rinoa ran out and fired at Hale, aiming for his throat. But the angle was wrong and she hit his chest instead, instantly alerting him to her position. Rinoa screamed as the mountain of a man came straight at her.

 

Meanwhile Cid rushed Kumi Na, his brain electrifying with techniques he hadn't used in years. He aimed a Hellcry Punch at her mechanical arm, but Kumi Na sneered as the memory of his techniques came back to her too and she dodged, firing at the same time. Bullets cracked off Cid's old, outdated armor, but Kumi Na stared as her bullets did _not_ pierce flesh and bone, merely scatched him and fell to the floor. And Cid straightened, smiling pleasantly.

 

“Junctions are _wonderful_ things,” he said before rushing Kumi Na again.

 

Even in her terror, Rinoa knew enough to run away from the 275 children who were cowering on the other side of the elevator and she had just enough breath to whistle for Angelo, who came sprinting around the side so fast that the air seemed to ripple around her. Fixated on Rinoa, Hale didn't see Angelo until the dog rammed into his legs, tripping him so hard that he slammed onto the ground. Angelo kept running like she was trained to do and across the room, Ekora yelled as Angelo ran between her legs too, making her fall over backwards. Asano took the opportunity to break cover and hit the Bastard with a Blizzaga while she was down. In the elevator well, Xu flung one of her knives into Masters's thigh and made him stagger just enough for her to close the distance and slit his throat. As blood fountained over her right side, Xu assessed the situation and saw Hale struggling to his feet, reaching for Rinoa as the civilian girl aimed and fired with a weapon that was too damn slow. The First SeeD glanced at Asano, who was jamming her electro-mag baton into the base of Ekora's head and holding it there despite the violent convulsions. The choice was clear. Sidestepping Masters's falling corpse, Xu ran for Rinoa.

 

“Six down,” said Cid to Kumi Na as he closed, shrugging off the bullets she kept firing at him. Between his levels and the junctions that he'd spent years carefully refining, he was fairly sure he could stand whatever she conventionally threw at him. But Kumi Na was smart and had held onto the Bastards for years for a reason, so Cid was only slightly surprised when her gun-arm reformed and rotated out to turn into a long blade that looked the near twin of his. He chuckled. “Really, Kumi Na? You want to close with me?”

 

“Yeah...” she said, raising the blade with a glint in her eye. “I really do.”

 

Hale surged to his feet, charging at Rinoa. Rinoa ran away as fast as she could and dropped into a roll, falling across her hip and shoulder to come back up and fire from a crouch. Her blaster edge shot out and scored Hale right under his kneecap, and though the blade stuck, Rinoa cringed as the tendon was cut completely through, making Hale's shin seem to snap up into a ball. Seemingly oblivious to the pain, Hale ripped the blade from his leg and threw it at Rinoa hard enough to make her duck and then yelp as the projectile thudded into the wall, buried so deep that only the fins were visible. With a cold shock, Rinoa realized she was completely unarmed and she froze as Hale lurched for her.

 

“Nope,” muttered Xu as she charged the man from behind and slotted her saber two-handed up under his ribs, piercing his spleen and his lung on the way to his heart. It took a lot of force between his muscle and his height, making Xu have to brace against the floor for the strength she needed. Peripherally she was aware of the death-shudder and stink roiling out from Hale's body and at the side of her vision, she saw Cid dueling with a dark-haired woman who moved like a cobra. But Xu dragged her sword free of Hale's falling body and flung the blood off, looking at Rinoa.

 

“You good?” She asked the civilian girl.

 

Rinoa nodded, or maybe just shook really hard. In any case, she didn't look hurt, so Xu looked at Asano. Her opponent was dead too, judging from the blackened mark at the back of her brain and the slight smell of burning in the air.

 

“You know, Kumi Na,” said Cid, parrying and dodging with ease; Kumi Na had the blade, but not nearly enough of an idea of how to use it. Still, she had strength, speed, and a homicidal grudge; she'd never forgiven him for choosing Edea over the Bastards. And Cid could feel blood running from the shallow bullet scratches all over his body, exhausting an old soldier who had not fought in too long. He kept his voice modulated to pleasant urbanity even as his lungs labored and his arms started to ache from the jarring impact of combat. “For old time's sake, I'll let you go back and take a message.”

 

“Message, my ASS!” Kumi Na raged. She locked hilts and surged, almost pure muscle despite her age; Cid skidded back, mere weight being no match. “You went soft and left us for the bitch right when we could have burned Esthar to the ground! You don't even get a message, you fucking traitor!”

 

“Need any help, Headmaster?” Xu called, wiping her saber clean on Hale's shoulder.

 

“No thank you, I'm just fine,” said Cid, concentrating on Kumi Na as her attacks got faster and faster. A Haste spell clicked above her head, making it very difficult for Cid to keep up. But he had lived through so many battles for a reason, and Kumi Na was unfamiliar with her blade; Cid could see her exhausting herself, and he concentrated entirely on defense while fingering the secondary trigger on his two-barrel gunblade. At the right moment, he pulled it and a small-caliber bullet fired directly from the hilt, perpendicular to the blade and through Kumi Na's shoulder. She jerked a step back and Cid surged this time, ramming her with his shoulder and bashing her to the floor. And then before she could be even more troublesome, Cid coolly cut off her gun-arm just below the cuff where Kumi Na equipped new models. She screamed like he'd cut her living flesh, staring in horror at her amputated prosthesis. But she clamped her lips shut, her eyes blazing with shock and fear and hate, as Cid set the edge of his gunblade on her arm, above the connection juncture.

 

“Kumi Na, you will return and give the Sorceress a message from me,” said Cid, no trace of the friendly Headmaster in his face or voice. “Or I will make it so you can never equip a gun-arm again.”

 

“...what's the fucking message?” Kumi Na asked, breathing hard.

 

“Tell the Sorceress, 'You took my wife. Now our children are taking your head'.” Cid pushed the tip of the gunblade into her arm, making Kumi Na yell as blood welled out of the wound. “Repeat it to me.”

 

“You took my wife,” Kumi Na gritted out. “Now our children are taking your head.”

 

“Very good.” Cid nodded at Xu and Asano, who came forward with steel in their eyes. As he left Kumi Na up, he saw her glance at Xu in her blood-soaked uniform and gleaming blades, and then at Asano who walked with blood streaking her burned labcoat and brain matter on her shoes. At the sight of her dead teammates all over the floor, Kumi Na clenched her teeth so hard that they ground audibly. “Now off you go.”

 

“I hope she turns you inside out,” said Kumi Na bitterly, turning around and clutching the shoulder Cid had shot earlier. She went straight for the lift and went up, glaring down at Cid the entire time.

 

“...Well now, wasn't that invigorating?” Cid said, making Xu laugh and Asano sigh and shake her head. Off to the side, Rinoa shuddered violently and clutched Squall's ring, making the steel cut into her hand. It was so different when a _person_ was trying to kill her, someone she didn't want to hurt otherwise. It felt like more than an assault on just her body and with mounting disquiet she thought of her friends, how easily they stepped into every battle situation. Did they feel fear? Had they ever? Or had it been trained out of them in 'field exams' like this one? From her place against the wall, Rinoa could see the dead senior, her brains spattered all over the floor. She hadn't looked any older than Rinoa. Or Quistis. Or Squall.

 

“ _Is everyone safe? Is everyone alright?”_

 

It took Rinoa a very long time to get to her feet, turn around, and drag her blaster edge from the wall. By the time she turned around, Xu had stripped down to her undershirt and was wiping off the blood from her legs and boots with Asano's labcoat, while the middle-aged woman looked on and pointed out areas she'd missed. Both women looked and behaved absolutely normally otherwise. Cid, however, looked at Rinoa.

 

And he smiled, all benign Headmaster again. Rinoa clutched the ring even harder, feeling a deep and creeping horror seep up under her. _This_ was who had been raising Squall and Seifer this whole time? Everybody in the Garden?

 

“ _Who is this man?”_

 

“Rinoa, dear, you did very well,” he said, sounding like he was congratulating her on a test. Or a field exam? “I'm very proud of you. Even 19-year-old seniors would have had difficulty reacting as well as you did. I believe it is time that you joined Squall in the command center. He will need you to help him defeat the Sorceress.”

 

“...Yes, Headmaster,” said Rinoa shakily, bowing her head. It was weak and she felt stupid, but right now all Rinoa wanted to do was find Squall—solid Squall, as calm as the eye of a storm—and hold onto him until the memory of dying screams left her ears.

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: Can you tell that I enjoy Final Fantasy Tactics? Because I do. TG Cid FTW!

 

In this story, Rinoa has not killed any Galbadian soldiers or humans at all. She's never been forced into that desperate of a situation, hence her shock in a PvP battle. This isn't because I don't think she's capable or needs to be protected, but it has to do with a legal thing I'm setting up for later. And I think there needs to be a contrast between her and the trained combat specialists.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	16. Chapter 16

8 May 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

“... Everybody, this is Squall. How is everyone doing? You're all probably too tired to even stand up after all the fighting. But I want you all to listen to me... We still have a chance to win, and I need your help. This is going to be our final battle. We're going to attack the Galbadians in their base before they charge us again. To do that, we're going to ram them like they've been ramming us. So I want everyone to prepare for a major collision.

 

“Take care of all the junior classmen. Irvine, Quistis, Zell, Selphie, Rinoa, and I will lead the attack into their Garden. Headmaster Cid told me that SeeD was formed to fight the Sorceress. And Garden was created to train SeeDs. So this battle is our destiny as much as the Garden's.

 

“It's been hard. I know you're tired. I know that there have been casualties... And the people you have grown to count on may not be there. But I don't want to look back and feel like all of our struggle was in vain. I don't want any regrets. I know you don't either. So... Just this once, I want you guys to give it everything you've got! For the Garden and for yourselves! Take care. Fate willing, we'll meet again.”

 

/\/\/\

 

People thought whips were silly only until they saw a whip user in an open combat situation. Then they realized that a whip was essentially a flexible, fifteen-foot-long sword with an additional blade at the edge, and that in the hands of an expert, it was very easy to savagely destroy five or more people at a time. But Squall knew, which was why he had asked Quistis to be point for the assault.

 

Quistis cut her way through the battlefield in a whirlwind of blood and silver, her eyes focused on the cracked gate of Galbadia Garden. She was distantly aware of her comrades at her side, the flanks of an arrow that cut through the enemy. Irvine mopped up the people who didn't go down fast enough for their liking, while pale Rinoa supplied him with speed spells and took the shots that he missed. Zell and Selphie blasted their flanks with spells, keeping the space clear, while Squall guarded their back with perfect efficiency. Quistis _loved_ it. There was nothing like the almost religious ecstasy of a team working so beautifully together, allowing Quistis's SeeD brain to take entirely over. There was nothing in her mind except “threat/response”, her superbly conditioned body reacting faster than any mere soldier could perceive. Blows glanced off her and left trails of fire that only spurred her actions harder. Magic rocked the ground she stepped on and the clash weaponry made the air around vibrate her. But Quistis sliced through those things in a perfect dance that awed whoever died by it, and whoever had a moment to feel anything more than stunned admiration died soon after, efficiently dispatched by her friends.

 

After an eternity of movement, Quistis found herself gasping in the hallway of Galbadia Garden, her teammates also taking several hard-earned breaths.

 

“All good?” Squall asked as they traded healing magic.

 

“Good,” everyone affirmed in various ways.

 

“Irvine, you know this place best,” said Squall, looking at the tall sniper. “Where do you think she'll be?”

 

“Headmaster's Office is the most secure,” said Irvine, pointing in the general direction. “Follow me.”

 

“No. We need you as a guide.” Squall looked at Quistis. “Will you take point again?”

 

“Of course,” said Quistis. Point was the most dangerous, but her weapon was uniquely suited to quick defense and she was stuffed to the gills with magic, as well as _still_ the most experienced. Quickly and quietly they moved in a group, dispatching Galbadian Training Center monsters and the occasional unlucky soldier. As they moved down the hall and opened a door, they barely saw a silver-red flash before a column of magic came roaring out at them. Fortunately everyone managed to duck.

 

“Hold!” Quistis shouted, recognizing the uniforms. “We're SeeDs!”

 

Fifteen Galbadian SeeDs slowly lowered their weapons, though ten more in front kept theirs trained on the group. They did not look entirely well; some were bleeding and others had uniforms that were less than pristine with blood or spell burns. Warily the Six got their feet, their eyes going to the many smaller pairs of legs and feet that were just visible behind the Galbadian SeeDs. Wards. Juniors.

 

“ _No wonder we didn't see any Galbadian SeeDs in battle,”_ thought Squall with relief. He'd been trying really hard not to think of the Galbadian juniors during the fight, hoping they were somewhere safe. This was actually better than he'd hoped. Balamb Garden turned out the most SeeDs, but Galbadia Garden turned out the scariest ones. 

 

“I'm Commander Squall Leonhart of Balamb Garden,” said Squall, scanning the group for the leader. He recognized one of the SeeDs from his field debriefing and looked at her, saying, “We're not interested in fighting with you. We just want the Sorceress.”

 

“Then you want the Headmaster's Office,” said the female SeeD, her expression as flat and hard as polished agate. Squall remembered that her name was actually Agatha, though she seemed too young and too brown for such a stodgy name.

 

“But good luck getting in there,” said Agatha, folding her arms in such a way that the clawed knuckles on both hands did not cut her arms. “It's tighter than a tomb and the Little Sir has melted the door shut. There's only one way up and it's being guarded by his posse.”

 

“The Little Sir?” Zell asked, confused.

 

“Sir Seifer Almasy.” The Galbadian SeeD shook her head. “Little bastard. If I'd known what he'd become, I would have slit his throat in that damn debriefing.”

 

“It's not his fault,” said Rinoa softly, more to reassure herself than anything, but everyone glanced at her. And the Galbadian SeeD shrugged.

 

“Fault has nothing to do with it,” she said, making Rinoa look at her in surprise. “He's an invaluable tool to her Royal Witchness, and breaking him would put a wrench in her plans. Alas... He doesn't leave her side for long enough, he's got his loyal dogs, and he _is_ well-trained. Musta gotten high marks in Strategy.”

 

“Fairly high,” murmured Quistis, thinking of Seifer's CV. He'd liked that class, so he was always in the top 5%.

 

“Strategy? You mean Seifer's the one who planned the assault?” Squall asked as Zell and Selphie looked disturbed. Rinoa looked away, biting her lip.

 

“The Sorceress says 'kill' and the Knight says 'how many',” said Agatha flatly. “Yeah. He planned it.”

 

“Bastard,” Zell swore, his face darkening. Squall's eyes flicked to the ground for a moment before he lifted his head, shoving his personal feelings aside for the task at hand.

 

“I'm extending B-Garden's protection to all Galbadian SeeDs, juniors, and wards,” said Squall, making everyone stare at him. “Put up a white flag and run to our base. Xu and Headmaster Cid will welcome you gladly.”

 

“Oh?” Agatha looked at Squall suspiciously. “Really? And why is that?”

 

“Because you're SeeDs,” said Squall, giving her the salute. Warily Agatha and then every Galbadian SeeD returned it as he said, “Which means you're one of us. Go to our Garden. You'll be fine. All of you.”

 

“And then under _your_ command, right?” Agatha asked, looking him over.

 

“I won't ever force you to do something you won't do,” said Squall, making the Galbadian SeeDs glance at each other. “Look, we all know that SeeDs have to protect the children. That's our priority too. We'd take them ourselves, but there just aren't enough of us right now. There's twenty-five of you, which means you can easily cross that battlefield without a scratch. And you know this place isn't safe... I know our seniors didn't put those wounds on you, which means the Army did.”

 

“Fricking Bastards,” muttered one of the Galbadian SeeDs Squall couldn't immediately see.

 

“Tell Headmaster Cid or Assistant Headmaster Xu that I sent you,” said Squall to Agatha. “Or Dr. Kadowaki or Dean Zama. They'll believe you.”

 

The Galbadian SeeDs glanced at each other uncertainly. Agatha chewed on her lip.

 

“...Fine,” she said, making the Galbadian SeeDs look at her immediately. “We'll go for it. Not like we've got much of a future here, or the kiddos either... You realize we'll whack anyone who takes a shot at us, right? Or at the kids?”

 

“I understand,” said Squall as Quistis silently prayed that no Balamb Garden senior would lose his or her head enough to shoot at a mass of Galbadian SeeDs.

 

“Then we're moving out,” said Agatha, making the ten SeeDs at the back corral the children. “Mosconi!”

 

“Yes, Aggie?” The voice was shockingly young, making the Six jump slightly in surprise.

 

“Come here. And give Commander Leonhart the thing you showed me before.”

 

A child of no more than twelve came through the Galbadian SeeDs, deathly pale with lanky black hair that only made him look paler. He walked to Squall after Agatha pointed him out and handed him a keycard.

 

“It unlocks the lift to the Headmaster's Office,” said Mosconi, looking up into Squall's eyes. “I swiped it off a dead guy just in case. Good luck. And thanks for not killing us.”

 

“I wouldn't do that to a junior,” said Squall, taking the keycard. “And a fellow ward.”

 

Mosconi blinked, looking more his age. “You're a ward too?”

 

“We all are,” said Squall, gesturing at his group. “And we promise, we will defeat the Sorceress so you can live in peace again.”

 

Mosconi smiled tentatively, a bit of color coming back into his face. He saluted awkwardly and then went back to stand with the other kids. The Six left the Galbadian SeeDs to organize themselves and strip a nearby bed for its clean white linens.

 

“That was really nice, Squall,” said Selphie as they continued their search. “Even without getting the keycard.”

 

“The more SeeDs the better,” said Squall. He hesitated and then added, “And... The juniors. The wards. I remember being that age... Well, now I do.”

 

“You're welcome,” murmured Irvine.

 

“And I remember how much it sucked not being able to do anything,” Squall said, his eyes dark. “Just being scared...”

 

“They're with Galbadian SeeDs,” Quistis told him. “And it looked like it was one SeeD for every two kids, so they'll be well-guarded.”

 

“ _I hope I see all those faces when we're done with this,”_ thought Squall as his team continued their search. _“SeeD and child alike.”_

 

/\/\/\

 

“You took my wife. Now our children are taking your head.”

 

Edea looked on Kumi Na with disfavor, making the leader of the diminished Bastards grit her teeth. She remembered seeing the bitch before her now close to twenty-five years ago, oh so _cute_ in a neat little black dress and kitten heels. The perfect look to turn the most efficient killer on Kumi Na's team into a softhearted nerd who pretended that taking care of orphans absolved him of killing their parents.

 

“Cid said that to me?” Edea asked, her golden eyes glowing.

 

“That was the message he gave,” said Kumi Na, clutching her bleeding shoulder. She'd stolen a couple of potions on her way here but really needed to sit down for proper attention. Fucking age. Ten years ago she wouldn't have been dizzy _already._ For shit's sake, the two idiots downstairs, Fujin and Raijin, had actually looked at her in horror and offered medical attention. Ugh.

 

Edea laughed softly and looked at Seifer, who was kneeling by her side. Kumi Na glanced at the Little Sir. He looked even stupider than usual, now gazing up at Edea with a sort of love that seemed suited more to dogs or small children. It was not a look a grown man or even an older teenager should have. A shiver went down Kumi Na's spine as she thought, _“Something in that boy's head is_ fucked.”

 

“What do you think, my dear knight?” Edea asked him, her voice thrumming with emotions that made Kumi Na's alarm bells ring. “Your old friends are coming to pay a visit.”

 

“Let them come,” said Seifer, even his voice seeming younger and higher. Kumi Na's lips thinned in displeasure. He'd been so much more interesting when there'd been a spine to break.

 

“And what should we do with Kumi Na?”

 

Now Kumi Na tensed. She had a pistol in the back of her pants and practiced religiously to be just as deadly with her flesh hand as her gun-arm, but injured like she was and against two creatures basically out of legend, it was going to be close.

 

“Kumi Na failed,” said Seifer. “She should be punished so she doesn't do it again.”

 

“And how would you like to punish her, my knight?”

 

Seifer looked at Kumi Na, and she jumped as invisible heat seemed to shimmer from his eyes. It wasn't just his head that was beyond fucked anymore.

 

“Nonlethally,” he said, to Kumi Na's eternal shock. “She's got experience and wisdom. She can be useful still. Counting her, there are still five Bastards living... We can use them.”

 

“Hmm. Interesting.” Edea looked at Kumi Na sidelong before looking back at Seifer. “Kill her instead.”

 

“As you wish,” said Seifer without hesitation, rising to his feet. Kumi Na tensed as Seifer drew Hyperion and headed toward her.

 

“I'm unarmed,” she told him, stealthily reaching for her pistol.

 

“Not my problem,” said Seifer, his eyes going black as a strange smile touched his face. Kumi Na gritted her teeth. It was a Bastard's smile of unholy amusement. Without warning Kumi Na drew and fired, swearing as Seifer deflected the shots meant for his face and heart. Only one other gunbladist in Kumi Na's entire combat memory had been able to do such a thing.

 

“ _No wonder Cid cares about him despite everything,”_ thought Kumi Na, feinting at Seifer's knees before trying to shoot him in the face again; Seifer deflected every bullet with that strange, terrible smile still growing.  _ “Talent like that doesn't come along every day...” _

 

“Boy, stop,” she told him, eyeing his gunblade in alarm as flames bloomed along the blade like terrible flowers. She could see the air around the weapon rippling with heat at least six inches out. “You're a knight. You're all about honor and that shit. This isn't a fair fight. You know that.”

 

“The Sorceress demands,” he said, his voice vacant of anything but a zealot's drive. Seifer was closing fast. Kumi Na took her last possible moment to shoot at the clear glass surrounding the elevator shaft and charge for it just as Seifer slashed at her. She felt a line of fire sear across her back but was already running, aiming for the weakened glass. Seifer and Edea watched as the disgraced leader of the Bastards fled, crashing through the elevator shaft and disappearing from sight. It was nearly a hundred foot drop to the bottom of the shaft, with the unforgiving top of the elevator at any section. Seifer walked up to the open hole and put his hand on the side of the broken glass to step through.

 

“Hold. Attend me,” said Edea, making Seifer turn and walk back to her before he could jump down the elevator shaft after Kumi Na. As a distant thud made Edea smile, she asked, “Dear Seifer... My beloved son. My knight. How would you have killed her?”

 

“I would have cut her head off,” he said without hesitation.

 

“She was unarmed,” Edea pointed out, her voice low and warm with pleasure.

 

“Not my problem,” said Seifer, a childlike satisfaction coming over him at the look on her face.

 

Edea held out her hand, making Seifer step forward and kneel so she could caress his hair and cheek. He never flinched or even blinked as her claws pulled very close to his eyes. “And the old friends who come for us now... What are they?”

 

Seifer smiled, an undercurrent of playfulness in his bloodlust. “Not a problem for long.”

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: Finding those freaked-out students in Galbadia Garden made me so sad when I played through the game. Those poor kids. They have nowhere else to go.

 

I really need to finish the cover art for this story. That is my weekend project.

 

Regarding the modifications to Squall's speech in the beginning, I always thought it was weird that he'd ask people to fight for 'him' as the Commander when he's done basically nothing to earn their respect thus far. But the rest of it was very good, so I kept the original game script for the most part.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	17. Chapter 17

10 May 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

As Squall and his group rounded the corner that led to the lift, they stopped short as they saw Fujin and Raijin in front of their goal. The former DC members spotted them and froze. For a long time nobody said anything. There was no point in being glad anyone was alive and unhurt. There was no point in asking what either party was doing here.

 

“I don't suppose you'd mind moving,” Squall asked after a moment, drawing his gunblade. “We don't want to fight _you.”_

 

“Can't let you hurt him either, ya know?” Raijin asked as he readied his staff and Fujin pulled out her chakram. “He's not right.”

 

“We want to capture him,” said Quistis.

 

“CAN'T,” said Fujin, making Raijin nod.

 

“He's not gonna go for anything,” said Raijin with a heavy sigh. “And even if you did... You couldn't hold him.”

 

“He's just one guy,” said Zell with a frown. “I'm pretty sure that's what cells are for.”

 

Fujin and Raijin traded a sad look. Then Raijin lifted his hand and the SeeDs tensed as they saw lightning charge over his dark skin and down his arm, collecting in a ball over his palm.

 

The column of lightning that Raijin shot from his hand rapidly swelled to cover the entire hallway, catching the SeeDs before they could react. Selphie, junctioned with Quetzacoatl with lightning overflowing her elemental defense, ran forward as her skin drank the electricity; Rinoa ran in her wake, her naturally high magical defense enabling her to ignore the shocking pain that literally knocked everyone else off their feet. Raijin ducked the blaster edge blade that whizzed past his head, but as the projectile curved to return to Rinoa, it jinked out of the air when Fujin expertly knocked it out of its path with a well-aimed chakram blow.

 

Zell wrenched himself to his feet just in time to see Raijin close with Selphie, forcing her to retreat as he drove her back with long, wide swings of his heavy staff. Meanwhile Fujin fired an Aero at Rinoa and bowled her over as the dark-haired girl futilely tried to grab and reload her blaster edge.

 

“Jump!” Zell shouted at the girls, gathering energy that made his bones ache. “Three, two, one—”

 

Selphie and Rinoa jumped, casting Float at the same time, as Zell shot a Quake at the floor beneath Fujin and Raijin's feet. Raijin fell with a loud yelp, but Fujin just sneered and leapt preternaturally high, a ball of wind around her feet nearly visible as she cleared herself from the destruction.

 

Then, just as her ball faded, Fujin whirled in the air and blasted a Tornado spell down the hall that hurled everyone to the far end of it. Miraclously no one was cut on anyone else's weapons as they slammed against the locked door at the end.

 

“They have the advantage in the hall,” Squall coughed as they staggered back onto their feet. Pushing a Cura into a rib that felt broken, he said, “New plan.”

 

“Gimme a sec,” said Irvine, pulling a couple of shells marked with skulls and crossbones from his pockets. “And gimme some cover.”

 

“Uh...” Zell eyed him loading his shotgun with misgiving. “I know I punch stuff, but a shotgun isn't exactly a precision weapon...”

 

“Let me worry about my stuff, just give me some cover.”

 

“Okay,” said Selphie, concentrating. Zell made a noise of apprehension as she wove her nunchaku through a series of complex signs, her eyes half-glazing as she concentrated.

 

“Back up,” he said to the others, waving at them. “Back up back up back up, against the wall. If she's summoning what I think she's—”

 

Abruptly Selphie disappeared. A shining disk of white light formed in the air above the place she'd been and Zell groaned.

 

“This is gonna suck,” he said, grabbing onto Quistis's arm. “Hold on, everyone.”

 

A shimmering column of water pooled sinously from the light and hardened/darkened into a massive serpent, the head vaguely fishlike. With a screech that seemed to make their blood in their veins boil, the Guardian Force Leviathan slithered rapidly down the hallway, breaking up into a volume of water that seemed like a tidal wave. Fujin froze but Raijin stepped in front of her and crossed his arms, lightning seeming to explode from his eyes.

 

“Thank you much, Sefie,” murmured Irvine as he reloaded with Dark Ammunition. As the tidal wave surged down the hall, Irvine ran in its wake, raising his shotgun to his shoulder. Squall jerked his head at the sniper's back and the rest of the team followed, placing protective spells with every moment they had.

 

With a roar, Raijin met the awesome force of Leviathan's enchanted water with his affinity for lightning and more than one person screamed as the hallway seemed to explode with boiling mist. Irvine swore as his ammunition, trailing noxious smoke, vanished in the steam. In the next second Selphie reappeared at the side, dripping wet and spitting water.

 

“Whoa,” she gasped as the magical liquid evaporated off her body. “That was rough.”

 

“Water plus electricity separates into hydrogen and oxygen,” said Quistis, watching Raijin warily. He was breathing hard but didn't seem otherwise incapacitated. “He must have used that as a shield.”

 

“Nice trick,” said Irvine. “Can he do it again?”

 

“Without water, no.”

 

“Excellent.” Irvine fired.

 

Raijin jerked as the Dark Ammunition hit him squarely in the leg and at once he dropped to his knees, green to the gills and magical smoke obscuring his eyes. Irvine's second shot grazed Fujin's right arm and even as poison flooded her veins, Fujin made a grabbing motion with her free hand...

 

And abruptly the air in the hall vanished.

 

Quistis felt her chest imploding and dropped to her knees, disoriented as her lungs groped for something that wasn't there. Zell clutched his throat, staggering; Squall nearly dropped to the floor, managing to catch himself just in time. Rinoa put her fingers to her lips and with the last of her breath, whistled.

 

“ _Fujin's doing it,”_ thought Quistis, lifting blurring eyes to sight on a blue-glad figure down the hall. Peripherally she saw Selphie half-swooning, her eyelids fluttering. Irvine was on his knees, pale and grey with shock. _“I have to distract her.”_

 

Underwater training made Quistis able to stand and concentrate even as her vision started to go black at the edges, and when she Drew from Fujin, the shock of being pulled on was enough to make the silver-haired woman lose control her vaccuum-inducing spell. As air popped back into existence and Quistis felt the touch of a wind GF brushing her mind, she heard the clicking of dog nails in the hall.

 

“ _No way,”_ she thought, turning to look over her shoulder. Panting and scrabbling, Rinoa's dog Angelo appeared from nowhere. _“How good of ears does this dog have?”_

 

“Good girl,” Rinoa called, making the dog's ears perk up as soon as she heard her mistress's voice. The compact dog ran up to Rinoa and to Quistis's shock, hopped obediently up onto her blaster edge.

 

“ _She'd better not do what I think—”_

 

“Sic 'em,” said Rinoa as she drew back the trigger and fired her dog at Fujin and Raijin. Quistis clapped her hands over her mouth in shock.

 

“What the fu—” was all Raijin managed to get out before Angelo flipped and bodyslammed him in the chest. He hit the wall behind him with a thud, but the effect on Fujin was even more dramatic. The silver-haired woman dropped her chakram, her face going dead white, and she _screamed._ Quistis had never heard a noise filled with such complete terror.

 

As Angelo turned to look at Fujin, the woman hurled herself into a corner and covered her face, shaking like a leaf. Quistis saw her cover her face and neck with both arms.

 

“What's happening to Fujin?” Rinoa asked, stunned.

 

“Shit.” Raijin instantly went to Fujin, dropping to his knees by her side and enveloping her in a hug. “Fuj, it's okay! It's okay!”

 

“MAKE IT GO AWAY!” Fujin shrilled, sounding completely out of her mind.

 

Zell cocked his head. At the end of the hall, Angelo did much the same thing.

 

Selphie gasped and pointed at Fujin. “No way! She's scared of dogs?”

 

“You'd be too if one nearly blinded you and killed you as a kid!” Raijin shouted back, curling protectively around Fujin as she sobbed hysterically. He kicked ineffectually at Angelo, who took a few steps back and panted. “Get out of here! Go!”

 

“No, Angelo, stay right there,” said Rinoa as the sheperding dog whined. “Guys, come on. Let's get to the lift.”

 

“This feels wrong,” Irvine muttered as they nevertheless trotted down the hall. It was hard not to feel sorry for Fujin, normally so composed and so strong, as she wept and screamed at the sight of one of the friendliest dogs they all knew. Raijin glared at them balefully but would not let go of Fujin, who seemed to alternate between trying to hide against him and trying to claw her way out of his grasp; Squall saw Fujin draw blood and winced for Raijin, who just held onto her grimly and kept saying, “It's okay, it's okay,” over and over. Meanwhile Angelo whined again and then barked, making Fujin shriek and cry again. They could hear her sobbing all the way up the lift to the Headmaster's Office.

 

The disquiet in their chests only increased as the elevator doors slid open and revealed a dark room covered in white draperies, only two figures in their sight. One was coming up out of a subservient kneel, his white coat practically glowing in the low light. And like a dark angel behind him sat the Sorceress, regal and coldly beautiful. Everyone ignored Seifer and looked straight at Sorceress Edea. She smiled at them and something like a dagger stabbed into their hearts.

 

“ _Well, I'm just glad none of you were hurt,” said Matron as she ladled red vegetable soup into bowls and handed them to Sis, who set them out on the table. Zell was still sniffling from the punch Seifer had given him for telling, but a big piece of buttered bread put the smile back on his face. Seifer was sitting at the far end of the table, sullen and sandwiched between the only two people who could make him behave, Quistis and Matron. Irvine sat next to Selphie and graciously accepted the pearl onions she scooped out of her soup. Meanwhile Squall kept looking anxiously over his shoulder until Sis and Matron finally sat down._

 

“ _Don't_ ever _play Wizard Battle again,” said Matron severely. “Fireworks are not toys. And neither is magic. Both of them can seriously and permanently hurt you. Promise that you've never going to anything so reckless again.”_

 

“ _We promise,” chorused six little voices._

 

“I promise,” said Seifer, making six pairs of eyes flick over to him. He seemed to boil with strange energy now, his eyes looking like they were glowing in his head. He pointed at them and said, “I'm gonna make all of you suffer. The only way Fujin and Raijin would let you through is if they were dead.”

 

“Actually,” said Rinoa, holding up her hand. “I brought Angelo. She's keeping them company right now.”

 

Seifer stared at her, the wrath slipping off his face. “That's low,” he said finally, sounding the most normal he had in ages. “Really, really low.”

 

“Not as low as bombing a location stuffed with noncombatants,” said Squall, his eyes hard. “And not as low as attacking your own home.”

 

“Oh? That's my home now?” Seifer tapped his gunblade against his shoulder. The longer they looked at him, the more they realized there was something really off about him. Something seemed to vibrate around his skin, something more than the aura of violence they'd all noticed last time. “Funny. Considering how fast you all tried to kill me last time, I didn't think I was missed.”

 

He looked at Quistis in particular, making a chill go through her chest. “Especially by you. Was it fun for you? Getting everything you wanted out of me and then...” Seifer tilted his head with a little smile. “Well. You know.”

 

“The blushing victim doesn't suit you, Seifer,” said Quistis, refusing to be embarrassed at this critical juncture. Holding her elbows, she managed to smirk a little and shoot back, “Though you do look cute when you take orders.”

 

Seifer's eyes gleamed but it was hard to tell what that meant. Instead he looked slyly at Rinoa and then at Quistis again, saying, “You're acting like you weren't the coldest virgin I've ever met. Not like Rinoa. She's _dynamite_ in bed, you know that?”

 

Unconsciously everyone looked at Rinoa, who turned pink in the cheeks. “I was sixteen,” she said stiffly, looking at Seifer. “It was last year.”

 

“Fun times...” Seifer mused. “Especially in the hotel, after the field test. That definitely wasn't last year.”

 

“Seifer, shut up,” said Squall, taking a step forward as everyone looked at Rinoa in shock. As Rinoa held up her hands, shaking her head furiously and mouthing 'no' to Quistis over and over, Squall obliviously said, “You can't mess with our heads anymore.”

 

“Really?” Seifer smiled. The sense of strangeness around him seemed to increase. “Because what if I told you that you're all trying to kill our mother? You remember Matron, don't you?” He gestured at Edea, saying, “She's done so much for us, not that you care.”

 

“It's because we care that we're here,” said Irvine, his grip tightening on his shotgun. Everyone around him raised their weapons too. “The Matron we knew and loved wouldn't want this.”

 

“Ah, but the Matron that I _know_ and still _do_ love was always more than just a caretaker of orphaned children,” said Seifer, touching his hand to his chest. He almost seemed to glow with something like worship. “Edea is the Sorceress. You should be on your knees before her.”

 

“Children don't kneel before their mother,” said Selphie, her eyes on Edea.

 

“And SeeDs don't kneel at all,” said Zell, tightening his gloves.

 

“Oh, you'll kneel,” said Seifer, his eyes seeming to go even darker. The group tensed as fire seemed to ooze out of his skin and drip down his arm to cover Hyperion in flame. “You'll kneel, and then you'll die. That's what you get for swarming like a bunch of monsters...”

 

“He can't maintain the flaming sword for long,” said Squall as Seifer approached with his burning blade. “25 Fire spells lasted him maybe about five seconds.”

 

“That's right,” said Seifer, cocking his head. “It does. You saw me in the dorms... I took your Fire spells. But you haven't seen this trick with _real_ fire magic, have you?”

 

He swung at the group and everyone ducked as a solid lash of fire roared off his sword and swept toward them in an arc. As the flames rushed overhead, Seifer charged and aimed for Squall with a roar. Squall parried, but Seifer changed the direction of his strike at the last moment to have his blade glance off Squall's. Zell threw himself out of the way just in time to avoid getting a gunblade to the temple.

 

“Team Two, get Edea!” Squall shouted as he locked hilts with Seifer and forced the taller man back.

 

Instantly Quistis, Zell, and Selphie turned to look at Edea, who was sitting serenely and unprotected in her hanging throne. Zell charged, his face grim, and Quistis followed a pace behind.

 

“Nope,” she heard Seifer say almost in her ear and Quistis cried out as what felt like a fist of flame punched her in the low back. She tumbled to her knees and saw similar Bomb-sized fireballs bashing both Zell and Selphie, and when she glanced over her shoulder she saw that Seifer's entire body was wreathed in flame. He looked like some sort of fire elemental with flames licking over his white coat, heat shimmering the air around him, and his face contorted in a mask of inhuman savagery.

 

“Let's get them monsters,” he said with a grin, and without warning charged at Rinoa. She screamed and nearly fell over in shock.

 

Irvine's shotgun barked twice, making Seifer leapt back, and Quistis lashed Seifer's free arm with her razor-edged whip. He tore himself free in a spray of ripped fabric and blood, sending a spear of flame down her weapon. Quistis flicked her whip and sent the fire flying, forcing Selphie to jump as the burning arrow nearly hit her in the calf.

 

“ _He's gotten so fast,”_ thought Quistis, stunned as Seifer dodged another gunshot and clove a Blizzard in two. As the ice magic fell apart, Seifer kicked one half directly at Selphie and then lunged at Squall, who parried in just the nick of time. He seemed oblivious to pain and injury, which was just as scary as everything else so far.

 

“ _He's gotten really strong,”_ thought Squall as Seifer nearly smashed the gunblade from his hands with one perfectly aimed blow. Skidding back five feet, Squall pretended to drop to one knee and instead forced ice magic into the ground, hoping he knew what he was doing. He'd seen Seifer do this twice now and thought he'd got the hang of it...

 

Seifer took a step forward and yelled as his foot skidded out from under him, nearly going into the splits as black ice spread underneath his boot. With a back-wrenching flip he managed to get back to his feet and glared at Squall, a grudging smile nevertheless on his lips.

 

“So you _can_ learn new tricks after all,” he sneered at the younger SeeD.

 

“I don't learn fast,” Squall admitted. “But I learn _right.”_

 

Ice flowered up Seifer's lower leg and then melted in a boiling hiss as fire bloomed from Seifer's body. The blond knight hurled another lash of fire along the ground and then jerked as Selphie hit him in the back of the knee with her nunchaku. With a snarl of frustration, Seifer filled his free hand with flame and dragged fire along Hyperion until the gunblade turned into something more like a flaming broadsword. Then Seifer went into a whirling, spinning dance that sent roaring arcs and speeding columns of fire rushing through the air, forcing everyone to run for cover. He was a storm of deadly grace that made Quistis's heart ache with envy and admiration. Whatever was going through Seifer's head now, it was clear that it had removed everything that stood between him and his natural combat instinct, which had always been high and magnificent. As he flowed seamlessly from attack to attack, Quistis concluded with a shiver of half fear and half appreciation that Seifer was a combat genius—no wonder he didn't have the patience for 'boring' orders. Everyone dodged as best they could but Rinoa had to turn an evasive roll into an extinguishing one as the back of her long vest caught fire and Zell ripped off his flaming jacket with a curse.

 

“You're not getting past me,” Seifer swore, placing himself between them and Edea. She was still smiling, completely unperturbed, and her smile widened ever so slightly as Seifer formally raised his sword before his eyes. “Or is that all you've got?”

 

Rinoa took a deep breath, making a drawing-forth gesture. Irvine glanced at her unconsciously as the smell of the sea suddenly came out of nowhere, along with a strange music that made everyone who heard it wince subconsciously.

 

“Nope.”

 

Irvine saw the danger first and shoved Rinoa, knocking her out of her concentration and out of the path of Raijin's staff, which cracked down on his arm hard enough to make the sniper go white. As he staggered, a blue and white chakram whizzed for his head. Quistis swung her whip and managed to flick the spinning blade just enough that it snicked off a few strands of Irvine's ponytail rather than his whole head.

 

“Took ya long enough!” Seifer shouted at Fujin and Raijin as they came in. But his voice was anything but annoyed as he looked at Fujin and said, “You alright?”

 

“F-FINE,” sniffled Fujin.

 

“What did you do to my dog?” Rinoa cried out.

 

“She's a sucker for fetch, ya know?”

 

Rinoa sagged with relief, but only until they regrouped. The atmosphere was tense as the six SeeDs, the three renegades, and the Sorceress faced off.

 

“Zell, Irvine, take Raijin,” Squall murmured under his breath, hiding his direction by casting Cure spells. “Quistis, Selphie, get Seifer. Rinoa, you and I are support, then going for Fujin. Charge in a line and break in three, two, one...”

 

“Get Squall first,” Seifer breathed, his voice just barely reaching Fujin and Raijin. “He's doing weirdocasts.”

 

“The hell'd he learn weirdocasts?” Raijin muttered back, using their posse-specific word for unusual magic casting.

 

“Observation,” Seifer replied and raised his sword as the six SeeDs split apart.

 

“Come on, now,” Rinoa whispered, summoning again. This time an unearthly howl ripped the air and Fujin cringed, but she did not completely lose it as a massive three-headed hound burst up from the ground, light filling its mouths. The SeeDs straightened as bursts of magical efficiency seemed to kick their minds into overdrive and Seifer growled in annoyance as Protects and Shells sudden glowed over everyone so thickly that they nearly made a purple wall.

 

“It could be worse,” Raijin said, making Seifer and Fujin glare at him. Too late he realized his mistake but the ominous clicking of six clocks speeding up forced their attention to the center. Rinoa and Squall dropped their hands, the air still shimmering from the magic they'd slapped down.

 

And Seifer jerked back as a section of wood two feet long and strong enough to take a strike from Hyperion came flying for the spot between his eyes. A second later he skipped back again as a ten-inch blade sought his chest and missed. To his right, Seifer heard the swoosh of Raijin's staff as he swung at and missed speedy little Zell, but his rhythm was further interrupted by Irvine shooting like mad, and when Raijin defended or dodged, Zell would run in and strike like a snake, driving Raijin nearly to his knees with fast and powerful blows to his back and kidneys. On Seifer's left, Fujin dodged magic from Rinoa, evading Squall's swift strikes and far heavier weapon at the same time and not having enough space to do anything else. Seifer would have cursed if he'd had breath; it took the majority of his concentration to keep out of range of Selphie and Quistis's weapons. It wasn't just the numbers that were on Squall's side, it was the arrangement of the teams. Grudgingly Seifer admitted that Squall knew what he was doing.

 

“Swap left,” Seifer shouted, ducking and throwing himself at Squall. He rammed the distracted brunet into the path of a lightning spell from Rinoa, who shrieked in dismay as the magic connected. Fujin rolled free and hurled her chakram at Zell, making him skip back and giving Raijin the opening he needed to take Seifer's spot. As Selphie and Quistis struck, Raijin swept his staff in a tight circle and tangled the chains of their weapons together. With a surge of effort, Raijin yanked upwards and the girls went _flying_.

 

“Sefie!” Irvine shouted, gasping in horror as Selphie slammed against the tall ceiling and fell insensate toward the ground. He managed to cast Float on her and Quistis as Fujin closed with Zell, her movements focused as she trapped his strikes again and again. Zell's face contorted with frustration as Fujin coolly stole the momentum from all of his blows, evading his strikes with circular movements he'd seen but never mastered. Meanwhile Irvine gritted his teeth, unable to get a clear shot with Fujin right in Zell's face and her entire body less than six inches away from his.

 

“Remember to keep your guard up,” Seifer crowed over Squall as the brunet struggled to stand. Almost negligently Seifer knocked Rinoa's weapon from the air as she fired at him, barely sparing her a glance. Squall managed to get one foot under him, but Seifer swung at him again and again, forcing him to parry and scramble for space on the floor.

 

“Seifer, stop it!” Rinoa cried, snatch up her fallen blade and recocking it. “Leave him alone!”

 

Seifer only laughed as Hyperion burst into flame again, his face highlighted in demonic light.

 

“Let me add another scar for ya,” he said, making Squall's eyes widen in shock.

 

Then Seifer suddenly lurched and fell on top of Squall as a miniature missile exploded against his back. As Squall kicked him off, Seifer rolled onto his back and looked up in stunned confusion as more miniature missiles shrieked through the air. Following their track backwards, he saw a shape that seemed half hard machine and half soft woman, her arms broken into micro missile launchers. Azure-colored flames flickered over her body and poured from her eyes.

 

“ _Blue magic,”_ Seifer realized as the flames disappeared and Quistis's body snapped back to normal with an almost audible clack. She staggered, pressing her hand to her head. 

 

“ _One more time,”_ Quistis thought, adrenaline giving her the power she needed to break into the monster-tainted parts of her spirit. She took a deep breath and clutched her arms as she dragged the power out of her. Unbeknownst to Quistis, her eyes began to pulse with blue lightning. 

 

Quistis flung her arms out and electrity exploded from her chest, shocking Fujin into insensibility and snapping Seifer's spine into a bow of agony. Raijin only laughed and it wasn't hard to see why; even Quistis's blue lightning sank harmlessly into his skin, charging him with energy. Whirling his staff, Raijin ran forward—

 

\--only to be intercepted by Selphie, whose junction-enhanced skin also absorbed lightning like lotion.

 

“Oops,” she said, swiping Raijin's feet out from under him. With a complicated little bit of nunchaku mastery, she whacked him no less than five times before he hit the ground and by the time Raijin fell onto his face, he was already unconscious.

 

“For fuck's sake,” Seifer snarled breathlessly as he staggered to his feet. He glanced at Fujin, who was also out cold. “Fine. FINE. I can do it alone. That's how it should be, anyway...”

 

“Seifer, it's six on one,” said Zell, raising his fist. “Just give up.”

 

“We don't want to kill you,” said Rinoa, her voice pained.

 

Seifer's lip curled in contempt, but he yelped and fell again as Squall lashed out and kicked him in the knee. The brunet had been lying very still during Quistis's Electrocute attack and had been further shielded by Seifer's body, waiting for a moment like this. As Seifer went down, Squall sucker-clubbed Seifer's head against the floor with the butt of his gunblade and everyone winced as Seifer's head cracked against the floor with an audible THUD. Seifer groaned, his eyelids fluttering as he fought for consciousness.

 

And for the first time since the battle began, Edea looked at Seifer. Her lips parted.

 

“Once again, you disappoint me.”

 

Squall saw Seifer's eyes close, his face crumpling into a mask of grief that made Squall embarrassed. Seifer Almasy was not supposed to look so vulnerable. Meanwhile Edea closed her eyes and sank slowly through the floor.

 

“The auditorium's right underneath,” said Irvine, rapidly reloading. “Let's go.”

 

Quistis nodded, but couldn't help looking back at Seifer one last time as they crammed into the lift. He was still struggling to get up, some sort of madness dragging him forward. Blood seeped out of his left arm and was splashed across his face, highlighting the strange light from his eyes. He seemed totally insane.

 

“Stay down,” she said, hoping he'd listen to her. “Please stay down.”

 

After healing themselves in the lift, Irvine led the group to the auditorium, which was ominously dark with only the house lights half-on. Rinoa and Irvine went first, their projectile weapons making them the point of an arrow. Cautiously they proceeded, scanning every row of seats they passed. At last they stood before the base of the amphitheater.

 

“ _This isn't right,”_ Squall thought, looking cautiously around. _“Where is she?”_

 

The crash of breaking glass made everyone jump back and look up. Highlighted by a rain of crystal shards, Edea alighted on the speaking podium as delicately as a flower petal. She looked down at them, her long-clawed hands flexing slowly.

 

“SeeDs,” she said scornfully. Squall tensed as her golden gaze fell on him. No wonder he had never recognized their beloved Matron in the Sorceress; the features were the same, but were never that cold, that cruel, that scornful.

 

“You again?” She asked, pointing at Squall. “And the rest of these locusts?” Edea laughed, dropping her hand. “It must be fate to repeatedly encounter someone so...annoying.”

 

“ _Not our Matron,”_ thought Squall, raising his gunblade and ignoring his confusion at her words. _“Not anymore.”_

 

“No holding back,” he told the group.

 

“No holding back,” Zell said softly. Irvine bowed his head.

 

Immediately the difference between para-magic and sorceress power became apparent as Edea raised her hand and six bolts of lightning blasted down from the ceiling. With no chance to dodge, Quistis was knocked out immediately, followed by Irvine. As Squall, Zell, and Rinoa ran up the side stairs to reach Edea, Selphie quickly revived and healed her teammates.

 

“The other side,” she told them, jerking her head as they came to. “We'll flank her.”

 

Edea laughed and turned like a dancer in the air, throwing spears of ice that made Squall's shoulder burn with memory. They ducked just in time as shards of razor-sharp ice shattered and skidded above their heads, protected by the height of the podium. As Selphie, Irvine, and Quistis ran up the other side, Irvine threw up fresh Shells just as Edea sent a wave of fire roaring down at them. The Shells burst like balloons, but the worst that happened was heat, not real damage.

 

“Long, back, close!” Squall shouted as his team came up within range.

 

“You got it,” said Irvine, aiming at Edea's head. But then he changed his target for her chest, which was larger and easier to hit. Squeezing the trigger, a burning blast of armor-piercing ammunition streaked from his reinforced shotgun and blasted toward Edea. She dodged and then cried out as Rinoa's blaster edge scored across the back of her leg.

 

Selphie caught Squall's eye and threw a Blizzard at Edea. In a burst of inspiration Squall fired an Aero at the rapidly forming chunk of ice and Edea hissed as chips of magical, growing ice burst above her head and sliced shallowly down her arms. Ice began to build up in her wounds, but she shook herself free of them with an irritated shrug that made the semitranslucent cape behind her snap out like wings. Zell and Quistis halted their charge and stared helplessly up at Edea; she was out of their range.

 

“Some knight,” Edea said, casting her gaze upwards as her voice rolled with displeasure. “Some son. Are you going to let these evil traitors kill your mother?”

 

Something like the roar of a furious beast made everyone look up, and more than one person gasped as what looked like the sun itself dripped through a hole in the ceiling, roiling with thick carpets of flame. As it landed on the floor, it peeled away to reveal Seifer literally shining with energy...

 

...and at the same time, looking like he was on his last legs.

 

“ _Why didn't you just stay down?”_ Squall thought bitterly as Seifer landed hard on the floor and took his place before Edea, raising his sword. The older man was in bad shape despite the golden energy pulsing beneath his skin. Blood flowed down his arm, he had cuts and bruises on his face, and his breathing was ragged. As they watched, he nearly sank to one knee.

 

“I'm the sorceress's knight,” he said, seemingly to convince himself. “You'll never...get past me. Not after everything. Not after all I've done. You won't defeat me.”

 

Fire blossomed out from his feet like a carpet, making everyone step back. Edea smiled, her face unrecognizable in its cruel lines, as Seifer rose to stand.

 

“New plan,” said Squall, stepping back as the fire reached for him and the heat dazzled his eyes. “Get them both.”

 

Despite Squall's words, there were no real plans after that. There was no grace. Seifer fought like a rabid animal, all but howling his defiance as they grimly took shot after shot at Edea and he blocked them all. Aside from the carpet of fire that burned more brightly as Seifer lost more blood, he made no move to attack or allow himself to be drawn away from Edea. Rinoa started to weep as Seifer sagged. When he staggered, Zell bowed his head.

 

“Just give up,” said Squall as Irvine silently fired again and again. Seifer swatted the shots out of midair with a wrench that made everyone wince to see it and he breathed heavily, blood singeing at his feet.

 

“Never,” Seifer breathed, his voice mingling with the roaring of the flames.

 

“You don't deserve to die like this,” said Squall, shaking his head.

 

“Like you can kill me,” said Seifer, lifting his bloodied face. The firelight reflected off the zealot's gleam in his eyes as he recklessly pushed himself back to standing.

 

“We won't have to,” said Selphie, her voice eerily calm; as a surgeon's child, she had seen death more often than most, even some SeeDs. “All we have to do is wait. You'll drop dead right in front of her.”

 

“No, _you_ will...”

 

The fire roared, surging to be half as high as the auditorium ceiling. Looking like a soldier of hell, Seifer walked through the flames towards the SeeDs and raised his blade like he was going to drag every single one of them down with him. His eyes were filled with nothing but mindless rage.

 

Selphie's lightning bolt made him stagger. Zell's Quake spell knocked him down, but he got back up. Rinoa's blaster edge sliced his arm open nearly to the bone, making blood well down his sleeve. Irvine shot Seifer in each leg, finally making the knight stop...

 

...and then drag himself forward, his eyes burning more brightly than the flames.

 

Wordlessly he pointed his gunblade at Squall, baring his teeth in challenge. Unconsciously Squall did the same, raising his own weapon. Despite the fire roaring all around, he felt nothing but coldness spreading through his chest.

 

Seifer breathed, “You're mi—”

 

A beam of green light pierced him through the chest. Seifer jerked and then thudded to his knees, the blood draining from his face. At once the hellish flames vanished, leaving a floor that shimmered with heat and instantly boiled the blood that started to fountain from Seifer's wound. He pressed his hand to his chest and gasped breathlessly.

 

He looked up at Quistis, whose blue eyes still glittered with motes of red and green laser light.

 

“Go,” Squall barked before anyone really registered what had happened. “Go! Get Edea, now!”

 

The SeeDs charged and Edea took to the air like she had wings, laughing as they futilely struck at her from below. Time seemed to flow differently around Quistis and Seifer.

 

“I didn't want to beat you to death,” she said to him as the violence and power drained from him, leaving only an exhausted man with sea-green eyes. “Not piece by piece like that.”

 

She saw him reach out. Quistis crossed the distance and after a moment of hesitation, knelt in front of him and took his hand. There was no strength in his grip.

 

“I'm sorry we hurt you,” she whispered only for his ears, tears washing the laser lights away.

 

“Me too,” he whispered to her, looking into her eyes. For a second it was like nothing bad had ever happened even as Quistis saw his living-sea eyes slowly dull and fade.

 

“QUISTIS!”

 

Relexively Quistis sprang away as lightning blasted the place she'd been standing. When she looked up, Edea was narrowing her eyes at her and pulling a Thundaga like taffy between her hands. Quistis looked mutely from Edea to Seifer and back again. He had closed his eyes but was still breathing shallowly. At the rate he was losing blood, Curaga would do nothing more than prolong the inevitable and Quistis did not have Full Life. He had less than a minute to live.

 

“ _Because of me. Because I shot him.”_

 

“Save him!” Quistis shouted at Edea as wild, desperate panic overtook her. Pointing at Seifer, she cried, “He's your knight! Your son! Save him!”

 

“So you can kill him again?” asked Edea, tilting her head. “Why would I ever put my dear knight through such suffering?”

 

Quistis gaped in disbelief. “Don't you care at all?”

 

“It is because I care that I can let him go,” said Edea, adroitly dodging a fireball and a bolt of lightning. “As you should have done, girl.”

 

“I—”

 

“That _is_ why you killed him, isn't it? Because you knew what had to be done.”

 

“No,” Quistis whispered, feeling herself starting to shake.

 

“Oh? Then perhaps you were putting him out of his misery, like a sick puppy?” Edea laughed, making Quistis want to cover her ears. “You never told him how little you think of him, did you? How you put him out of your mind and heart long ago?”

 

“Definitely not Matron,” said Irvine as he placed himself at the highest point of the back of the auditorium, keeping Edea in his sights. He had only three armor-piercing shots left, but none of his other special ammo even approached the range and accuracy he'd need for this shot. “Definitely, definitely not Matron.”

 

“He's not—” Quistis choked out.

 

“Oh, but he is a SeeD, is he not? Perhaps he should have seen this coming! And he should be lucky to have his life ended by one who _cares,_ hmm?”

 

Edea's eyes flashed as she pointed at Quistis and said, “I wonder how you'll tell the baby how his father died.”

 

Time seemed to snap. Everything froze like the flash in a photograph and even signals to the brain seemed to stop, shutting down heartbeats and breathing.  _“The baby?”_ Quistis thought numbly.

 

“ _The baby?”_ Squall looked at his teammates in shock; they were also wild-eyed.

 

“Not Matron,” Irvine muttered. All the way at the back of the auditorium, he hadn't heard a word Edea had said. “Not Matron.”

 

Too late Quistis saw the white energy gathering around Edea's hands, forming into blue spears of sorcerous ice. Squall gaped in horror, his shoulder burning with the memory of how deadly those things could be. Edea pointed at Quistis, her golden eyes whirling.

 

Meanwhile Irvine aimed, a surge of alarm lending precision to his movements. “Sorry,” he murmured as he squeezed the trigger.

 

Edea jerked as a beam of piercing white light rent the air and sliced through her side, and the ice spikes disappeared in flashes of white light. The seeming spell broken, Squall sprang into the air with an enormous leap, energy gathering around the edge of his gunblade. A fast whirl sent a disk of expanding energy through the air, hitting Edea from the side and knocking her lower in the air.

 

“Demi times THREE!” Selphie shouted, forcing out the wild energy inside her into a form they could use. Edea's shriek of pain wavered in and out of existence as crushing gravity imploded her form three times. As soon as the magic cleared, Zell leapt up and intercepted Edea's falling body, flipping in the air to hit Edea in the center of the chest with his heel. The sorceress slammed to the ground, where Rinoa aimed her blaster edge.

 

Then with a loud hiss, black steam boiled out Edea like a living thing and overwhelmed the entire room.

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: MUHAHAHA

 

Seriously contemplating being evil and updating in a week instead of two days. Just for the sweet sweet agony.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aren't you all lucky I'm not super evil? XD

12 May 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

“ _...the baby?”_

 

It would have been the prison. Quistis remembered the rush of pleasure, Seifer's last desperate groan. They hadn't been using protection. As the world turned paralyzingly strange, she could barely lift her head from the floor to see Seifer lying on it, his blood seemingly black in the weird white light that seemed to freeze everything.

 

“ _How are you going to tell the baby that you killed his father?”_

 

Quistis wanted to shut her eyes as the overwhelming need to cry swept over her. Instead her tears did not fall as she heard strange, dragging footsteps.

 

“ _Who's there?”_

 

Black heels stumbled unsteadily into Quistis's line of sight. Rinoa staggered over to Seifer, moving like one drugged. Quistis watched as the blue-glad girl dropped bonelessly to her knees by Seifer's body and then rolled him onto her lap. Something in Quistis's shellshocked heart still cracked when Rinoa tenderly held his face and whispered something to him. And then she kissed him passionately, making the air around them shimmer with heat.

 

And Seifer opened his eyes.

 

Quistis gasped, the air pulling into her lungs so slowly, as Seifer sat up and got to his feet. His eyes seemed the clearest they'd ever been, brilliantly blue and green with a thin ring of gold around his pupil that she could see even from the floor. He walked by her without a second glance. Rinoa watched him go, smiling strangely.

 

Then she collapsed and the world seemed to thud back into focus. Quistis pushed herself to her feet and rapidly looked for Seifer, but it was like he had never been there.

 

“...Squall...”

 

Quistis turned sharply as a pained, hushed female voice stirred memories in her brain. The thoughts were so old that they seemed frozen and dragging them where she could see seemed physically painful.

 

“Zell... Selphie...”

 

Quistis stumbled down the stairs of the speaking platform, her eyes fixed on the broken figure in black that even now Zell was approaching, his face full of devastation.

 

“Irvine... Quistis...” Edea gasped, her gaze clouding over. “You've all grown...so much. And become so...strong.”

 

“Don't talk, Matron,” said Squall, striding up to her. His hands glowed with the most powerful curative magic they had and he knelt by her side to let the magic do its work. Quistis saw her caved-in breastbone slowly buckle back into its natural position, the loud pops making Quistis wince.

 

“I'd feared this day might come...” whispered Edea, her voice nevertheless becoming stronger. “Or did I hope? Ah...”

 

She gasped suddenly, her claws scratching curls of material from the floor.

 

“Ellone!” Edea cried, looking around. “Have I protected Ellone?”

 

“Ellone's fine,” said Squall as Irvine ran down from the top of the auditorium, his face pale. “We're all fine, Matron.”

 

“Matron, is it really you?” Selphie asked, coming hesitantly closer. She never loosened her grip on her weapon.

 

“Oh, my poor children...” Edea closed her eyes, her face crumpling with pain. Tears seeped from her eyes. “I'm so sorry. I raised you as my own and I—”

 

“Don't blame yourself,” said Irvine, holstering his weapon as he neared. Taking off his hat, he said, “We knew it was you too. But it was all we could do.”

 

“Of course,” said Edea, smiling sadly. “You are SeeDs. You cannot back down from a battle. As I'd planned.”

 

She pushed herself up into a sitting position. There was nothing intimidating or fearfully graceful about her now, and as Edea sat up, she pulled the ornate headdress off her head. Rivers and waves of peerless black hair fell down her back, making Quistis cover her mouth as a low cry of recognition escaped her lips.

 

“All this time, I have been possessed,” said Edea, her voice low but strong. “Possessed by another sorceress, one from the future named Ultimecia. She is...terrifying. Powerful beyond measure. And she wants Ellone. She needs Ellone for some nefarious plan. I couldn't let her have her... So I let Ultimecia have me. And the rest...”

 

“You don't have to say anything,” said Squall, putting his hand on her back. “It's over.”

 

“It's not,” said Edea. Covering her face, she whispered, “At any time, I may be taken over once again. She will never stop looking for Ellone.”

 

“Ellone is safe,” Squall repeated. “We'll make sure of it.”

 

“And if the time should come...” said Edea, looking at Squall.

 

“We'll worry about that later,” he said. Getting to his feet, he held his hand out to Edea and said, “Meanwhile, we've got to figure out how to get you out of here. We know you're alright, but everybody else...”

 

“Don't worry about that,” said Edea, taking his hand and letting him pull her up. Her features blurred and melted, her clothing paled and reformed, and by the time she stood up, she looked like a tough, battle-hardened warrior wearing a white uniform that they all vaguely recognized. Her black hair was braided and held out of her face with a white bandana. “There. Now no one should recognize me.”

 

“Neato,” said Selphie, eyes shining.

 

“Let's move out,” said Squall. Looking around, he frowned and asked, “Where's Rinoa?”

 

Quistis looked behind her. She'd assumed the girl was only quiet, but Rinoa was still slumped on the floor. Quistis's heart plummeted and she ran to the blue-clad girl to check her pulse.

 

It was there. But slow. And even though her gloves, Quistis could feel how cold she was.

 

“Squall?” Quistis called as she picked Rinoa up. “Something is wrong.”

 

/\/\/\

 

Nobody said anything about _the baby._ Between Matron reuniting with Cid, Rinoa's mysterious coma, and getting the Galbadian wards settled in Balamb Garden (because it wasn't their fault that the adults in charge of them had gone crazy), _the baby_ seemed like a far less urgent thing to worry about. Nevertheless, Quistis found herself with company in the infirmary as she waited on the results of a blood test. Selphie and Irvine played cards while Zell read a magazine, and somewhat surprisingly Squall was there too and paced around, glancing into Rinoa's room only at the end of every circuit.

 

“ _What should I do?”_ thought Quistis, gripping her arms tightly. She was seated, staring at the far wall. _“Should... Should I withdraw from battle? I don't want to. Great Hyne, I'm not old enough to be a mother! And I certainly don't know how to be one._

 

“ _And if something happened to me... Then I'd be bringing another orphan into the world.”_

 

It hit her like a punch between the eyes, a future that might have been.

 

“ _Well, what do you want to do?” Seifer asked her after his initial shock wore off._

 

“ _What do_ we _want to do,” she corrected him, but he shook his head._

 

“ _You're the one holding the bag,” he said. “What do_ you _want to do?”_

 

“ _I... Well, in a year I can reapply for the Instructorship, and until then I can ask for a desk assignment. But even so... Raising a child would be difficult alone, unless...”_

 

_His sea-green eyes flashed with emotions that made her wince. How was she always underestimating him?“Of course I would—”_

 

“ _Are you su—”_

 

“ _A real family of my own? Of_ our _own?” Seifer smiled and ran his fingertips along the necklace she still wore, usually hidden underneath her battle dress. As he clasped her hands, Seifer looked into her eyes, his gaze soft and warm. “I'd never say no.”_

 

Quistis closed her eyes. For a moment it had been so real that she'd nearly laughed with relief, but the waking world was not so kind. She tried to imagine a more realistic scenario, but her mind refused to conceive of a child-filled future that Seifer would not want to be part of. Whether out of possessiveness, responsibility, or sheer curiosity, somehow she felt that Seifer would never desert a child of his own. So maybe she knew him that well...

 

“ _But he walked away... In Galbadia Garden, he left me..._

 

“ _On the other hand, he might not have heard Ede—no, Ultimecia—say what she said._

 

“ _And there's the possibility that the Sorceress was lying too._

 

“ _Though why would she do that?_

 

“ _...why not? I was so rattled, I don't think I could have fought if her hands were around my neck...”_

 

“Quistis?”

 

Quistis looked up at Asano Kadowaki, who was holding out a slim stack of papers. Quistis took them, unaware that everyone had stopped what they were doing to look at her.

 

“You are most definitely _not_ pregnant,” said Asano, making Zell whoop and throw his magazine into the air. Everyone else had more restrained sighs of relief.

 

Except Quistis. She stared at the papers for two seconds before bursting into tears.

 

“Quisty!” Selphie exclaimed, sending cards flying as she ran for her friend. The boys stared in horror while Asano instantly hugged Quistis. As Selphie hugged Quistis and Asano both, the younger girl said, “Don't cry! Oh, I hope those are tears of joy.”

 

“They are,” Quistis sobbed, making everyone relax again. “Oh holy heavens, I never want to be this relieved again.” Sniffing, she pulled back and looked at Asano. “I want an implant right now.”

 

“Wait, what?” Zell demanded, staring. “You're planning to have sex with him again?”

 

“I'm planning to have sex at _some_ point, so I might as well!” She snapped back. As Zell sputtered, Quistis looked at Asano and said, “I never want to take another chance again. This was too horrible.”

 

“Let me get the special needles,” said Asano, patting her back. “Sit tight.”

 

“Implant?” Selphie asked as Asano extricated herself and walked off.

 

“A birth control implant,” said Quistis, sinking into her chair and letting her head fall back against the wall. “Good for three years. You didn't have them at Trabia Garden?”

 

“No, we used IUD's.” Selphie poked herself in the abdomen. “Mine's good for ten. And the boys could get this one surgery where they'd take the scrotum and make a little cut in the—”

 

“AHHH!” Zell and Irvine both yelled. Even Squall looked unnerved.

 

“It's just a needle in the testicles,” said Selphie so factually that Quistis almost missed the mischief dancing in her eyes. “And totally reversible.”

 

“V-Card for life,” said Zell, shuddering.

 

“You say that now—” started Irvine, but Zell was already shaking his head and going “Nope, nope, nope, never in a million years, no way, NO.”

 

Over that background noise, Asano Kadowaki came out with a tray with two little syringes. Quistis raised her arm and everyone watched as Asano efficiently cleaned the site, numbed it with an injected solution, then used the second, larger syringe to place the implant under the skin of the arm. A poke of Cure magic sealed the needlesticks.

 

“How does it feel?” Asano asked as Quistis rotated and flexed her arm.

 

“Good,” she said. “I don't feel a thing.”

 

“Weeeird,” said Selphie, tilting her head with interest.

 

“Excellent,” said Asano. “Now remember, it doesn't help with disease. Unless you have a monogamous, fluid-bonded partner—”

 

“Always use a barrier method,” Quistis interrupted/finished, her cheeks going a little pink. “Thank you, Dr. Kadowaki.”

 

“You're welcome.” Asano pulled a pamphlet out of her pocket titled “What To Say: One-Liners for When Your Partner Says No to Condoms”. As Selphie started snickering, Asano put the pamphlet in Quistis's hand and said, “Memorize everything in this booklet and the next time your young man suggests unprotected sex, you tell him 'dress for success or go ho'—”

 

“Thank you, Dr. Kadowaki!” said Quistis, turning scarlet.

 

“Man,” said Selphie some time later, as they all ate dinner in the cafeteria together. “But that is pretty scary, isn't it? Getting pregnant.”

 

“You fight monsters and creatures outta legend,” said Irvine, looking at her in amusement. “And pregnancy scares you?”

 

“Look at me,” said Selphie, gesturing at her svelte frame. “These are not childbearing hips. Not to mention my parents would _kill_ me if I had a baby out of wedlock. We're not rich enough to make that work! Not to mention that taking any time off in the bloody business is as good as getting out of it, and after all the time and effort I put in, I wanna stay in for a while.”

 

“Would you have kept it?” Zell asked Quistis, making everyone stare at him. But instead of flinching like he normally did when he put his foot in his mouth, Zell only looked at Quistis very seriously.

 

“I don't know,” said Quistis after a long moment of silence. “There would be no reason for me to keep it. I certainly wouldn't want to bring another orphan into the world if something should happen...”

 

Quistis didn't know if it was the same for the others, but since re-meeting Matron, it was like revisiting the beginning of a favorite book; she found herself caught up in innocent excitement, adoration, and the somewhat alien but understandable desire to throw herself into Matron's lap and let her take care of everything...

 

“ _If something were to happen to me, she would definitely take care of the child...”_

 

...but the idea of essentially throwing a baby at Matron made Quistis wince. Besides, Matron was not in a position to take care of anything with the possibility of re-possession at any time. Currently she was wearing the Odine Bangle, which Rinoa had been carrying this entire time just in case, and she looked much more normal in one of her long black dresses, one of which Cid had kept around for sentimental reasons.

 

Remembering his reaction to seeing Edea for the first time made Quistis want to smile and cry a little.

 

_As the magic dropped away, Edea's face smoothed into the lovely lines they all remembered, but without Ultimecia spurring her on and filling her with power, they could see fine wrinkles and a slackening of her skin. The aggressively sensual dress, which Edea-Ultimecia had worn like armor, seemed ridiculous now. Xu and Nida were outside, guarding the bridge from unexpected visitors. Cid stared at Edea, not moving or saying a word even as the emotions in his eyes wrote a book of shock and disbelief._

 

“ _Hello, dear,” Edea said very softly, clasping her hands in front of her. Her amber-colored eyes were round-pupiled once more and softly aglow with hesitation and love._

 

“ _Hello, sweetie,” said Cid equally softly, looking her up and down. “You must be cold.”_

 

“ _I am,” said Edea. Then tears started to well up and spill down her face, and instantly Cid was crossing the room, his arms out wide. They hugged each other so hard that they seemed to melt into a single being, and Quistis wondered how she'd never realized until now that the Cid she'd known had always been half of a whole. No wonder he was absentminded when half his heart had been gone for so many years._

 

“I wonder why Cid and Matron were apart for so long,” said Quistis, touching her cheek thoughtfully. “Obviously they care about each other...”

 

“She said something about Ellone,” said Squall, his gaze on his clasped hands. Outwardly he seemed alright, but there had never been so strong a resemblence to his younger self than now. No one had realized how much he had been leaning on Rinoa's presence and with her gone it was like Sis going missing all over again. Quistis reached out and rubbed his back, a muscle memory of doing the same thing as a young child coming back to her.

 

“It always comes back to Sis,” said Irvine thoughtfully. Leaning back in his chair, he hooked his thumbs in his belt and said, “Sis sends us back in time... Sis being hunted by a sorceress from the future...”

 

“That's so weird to think about,” said Selphie, resting her chin in her hands. “A sorceress from the future? What could she want here?”

 

“World domination?” Zell asked, shrugging. “It nearly worked out for Adel not too long ago.”

 

“Yeah, but why _this_ time?” Selphie persisted. “Why not when Ellone is younger? Or older? Why now?”

 

“We'll have to talk to Matron about that,” said Squall, sighing. “She's the only one who has any idea of what Ultimecia's plans are. I have the feeling that this isn't over.”

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: The 'needle in the testicles' method of male birth control is called Vasalgel and clinical trials stretching back 30 years seems to indicate that it is pretty dang effective. As in more effective than a vasectomy, PLUS it's totally reversible in the baboon studies they have done. Does that not sound excellent? I know so many dudes who would line up around the block for such a treatment, but it is not FDA-approved yet. Hopefully sometimes in the next 10 years. Long-term it's not profitable because condom companies lose money, but think of how amazing this would be for low-income men, teenage boys, and men who'd otherwise get snipped. 

 

I did honestly think about making Quistis pregnant for real, but like... Why? There would just be this additional layer of totally unnecessary (in my mind) drama, because I've read many a fic where life just stops for surprise!babby and I think there's enough driving the story that we don't need to have Quistis worrying about every impact she takes to her stomach, or the effects of para-magic and GF usage on an embryonic lifeform (short answer: nobody knows because the pool is very small and the variables are huge). I didn't want other people fussing at her and telling her what she needed to do when she already has so much on her plate. I also really object to the trope of a woman's pregnancy being used to further a man's character development, so as interesting as the possibilities were to further fuck with Seifer's head, he again has his own set of issues that are not well-explored by having this additional concern.

 

I also did think about including a scene of a medically induced abortion, because at this stage she would have been pregnant for like two weeks (exactly 15 days according to my plot timeline), you know the Garden has those options available, and at two weeks, you take 2 pills. That's it. The fetus is still a cluster of cells at this point, it doesn't even have a digestive tract. Between 20-30% of such pregnancies spontaneously abort anyway, the pills just make it a sure thing. Me personally I am pro-choice and pro-abortion all the way, but LORD is it a hot-button topic for something that's really between a uterus-having person and their doctor. I'd probably have put the scene in there if I had experience, but all my abortions have been spontaneous (that is the medical term for a miscarriage and yes, I prefer spontaneous abortion. I hate the term 'miscarriage' because to me it always sounds like 'you held the baby wrong, you dropped it, and your lack of child is all your fault'.)

 

In any case, I played with this idea for a very long time before finally deciding it wasn't where I wanted to go with the story, and as a result I have a certain chunk of writing that is dedicated to this topic. I'm putting up the funniest one on my art tumblr and it is titled “Seifer Is A Pancake”. Trust me, it makes sense in context.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	19. Chapter 19

14 May 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

  
  


“Owowowow...”

 

Fujin sighed softly with relief as she opened her eye and looked up at a plain white ceiling. Without needing to turn or move, she knew she was in an infirmary and that Raijin was with her. When she lifted her head for more information, she found that they were alone in the clinic. That struck her as very, very ominous. Seifer would not leave either of them alone unless...

 

Wincing, Fujin pushed herself into a sitting position and carefully took stock of her health with every movement. She was sore, but otherwise fine. Raijin also sat up and gave her a look of query. When she nodded back at him, he nodded back; he was fine too.

 

“You seen Seifer?” He asked her.

 

Mutely she shook her head. With a hiss of pain, Fujin levered herself out of bed and went for a folded pile of blue clothing that sat on the infirmary table. She had a change of clothes in her room but wasn't planning on staggering around in a hospital gown until then, though she grimaced at having to put on dirty clothes. Raijin redressed too and together they went through the halls of Galbadia Garden, their strides lengthening and smoothing out as they forced blood through bodies that seemed weak with sleep.

 

The Garden was a hive of activity, soldiers running to and fro with a sense of purpose that let Fujin and Raijin know that Edea was around. So they headed for the bridge, figuring they would find both her and Seifer there. Edea was not there, but Seifer was. The strange thing, however, was that the Galbadians were obeying Seifer without question. And that he ignored Fujin and Raijin when they came onto the bridge. They hung out in the back, unable to hear whatever orders Seifer was giving out. There were too many bodies in the way, all of them paying rapt attention to Seifer.

 

“That's it,” he said to the assembled captains. “Begin the search immediately.”

 

“Sir!” The soldiers saluted as one and left the room at a brisk walk. Fujin and Raijin pressed themselves against the wall to let the armored men pass and when they were gone, they looked at Seifer.

 

He looked like hell.

 

Dirtied with soot and dried blood, his white coat tattered and torn, he looked he hadn't slept or eaten or showered in days. Nevertheless there was nevertheless a sort of invisible energy that boiled off him like flame, venting especially from his eyes. No wonder the Galbadians were obeying him without question now. The invisible energy seemed to radiate _threat_ and moreover there was an aura of strange charisma that put Fujin and Raijin in mind of Edea. Fear shivered through them, but they pushed through it (they were used to fear these days) and went to Seifer like nothing was wrong.

 

“Hey,” said Raijin, making Seifer glance up from the map he was looking at. He tried not to jump at the sight of the thin gold ring around Seifer's pupils. “You okay?”

 

“I should be asking you two,” he said, straightening. “You slept for two days straight.”

 

“TWO DAYS?”

 

“Why didn't you get us up?” Raijin asked, his brows snapping together. “We only got beaten up, not dead.”

 

“There were things I needed to do,” said Seifer somewhat vaguely.

 

“When was the last time you slept? Or ate?”

 

Seifer shrugged.

 

“Yeah, okay...” Raijin took his friend by the arm and pulled; when Seifer didn't resist, Raijin lead him out of the bridge and to the Headmaster's Rooms, which Seifer had claimed as his own. “Let's get you some food and a shower and you're going to feel so much better...”

 

“I feel fine.”

 

“STINK,” said Fujin flatly, making Seifer look at her in surprise.

 

And then he laughed, which eased the fear in Fujin and Raijin's hearts.

 

“Okay, you got me,” he said, now walking by himself as he entered the room. He shucked his clothes as he walked, forcing Fujin look up at the ceiling as he went into the bathroom. Raijin kicked Seifer's dirty clothes into a pile and rummaged around the drawers, eventually finding something in Martine's clothes that looked like it might fit Seifer; Martine had not been muscular, but his frame had been similar enough to Seifer's that it wouldn't be a bad fit. Meanwhile Fujin picked up Seifer's battered coat and sighed.

 

“So where's Edea?” Raijin asked, pitching his voice to be heard above the shower.

 

“In search of new power,” said Seifer, calling above the spray. He was standing underneath the hot water, grime and sweat rinsing off him in light gray, but what really disgusted him was the little round scar nearly in the center of his chest. It was offset to the left of his breastbone, perfectly between his fourth and fifth rib.

 

“ _She shot me.”_

 

Seifer touched the scar. With magic around, few injuries left scars unless they weren't seen to in time or if they were life-threatening. Seifer clenched his hands into fists as the nightmarish sensation of death slowly pulling him under made his breath ramp up. He hadn't even seen the blow coming.

 

“ _I'm sorry we hurt you.”_

 

“ _Me too,”_ thought Seifer as he soaped and scrubbed, turning the water dark grey as he rinsed off the efforts of battle. “ _You didn't have to do that, Quistis. You didn't have to fight me. Next time I'll return the favor... I'll kill you first. That way you don't have time to fight me, or see me tear everyone else apart.”_

 

He felt like he could do it too. His body still burned with the energy that Edea had gifted him with before the battle, and afterward...

 

“ _My dear knight,” whispered the voice that shaped his reason for living. “Seifer... The sorceress lives. The sorceress demands. Find the Lunatic Pandora in the ocean and bring it to Tears' Point in Esthar. Only then will I give you dreams again.”_

 

And then had come the power, the burning intoxication that made him aware of every vein and muscle and drop of blood inside his entire body. It felt like the best part of being drunk and high and flying from something that had to be injected and probably killed you, except Seifer had felt himself coming back to life. He remembered the sorceress's hands pulling him from the dark and breathing life into him again.

 

“ _I'll find the Lunatic Pandora,”_ thought Seifer as he turned off the shower. _“It's the least I can do for the woman who gave me life... My real mother.”_

 

/\/\/\

 

“I know it isn't much,” said Edea, wringing her hands. “But I couldn't think of what else to do.”

 

'It' was a homecooked meal. As soon as Quistis inhaled, a flood of scent memories put a smile on her face and she saw grins on everyone around the table. Even Squall, as quiet as he'd been for the past few days, had a slight smile. There was the big crusty loaf that everyone fought for pieces of, there was the pat of sweet butter. There was red vegetable soup and two plates heaped with chicken legs and thighs, since the orphanage had to be frugal with so many mouths to feed. They were eating in Cid's rooms, which seemed to be the safest place for Edea at the moment.

 

“I thought we could share a meal before we had to talk seriously,” said Edea as everyone sat down. For a moment it was like nothing had changed, with Edea at the head of the table, Cid on her right, and everyone unconsciously taking the seats they would have had as children. It wasn't until Quistis looked at Edea that she realized she'd left a gap for Seifer, and when she looked at Squall, there was a space on his right for Ellone. Squall caught her eye, flushed slightly, and without saying anything the two of them moved slightly over to hide the empty places. If Edea or Cid noticed, they didn't say anything.

 

“Talk about what?” asked Zell even as he reached for the bread and cut off the end. He had always liked the heels, though Quistis had a fleeting memory of Seifer mocking Zell for calling that piece 'the bread butt'.

 

“Ultimecia, future plans, how to proceed,” said Edea, lacing her hands together. “But not right now. Let's eat.”

 

If Edea's plan had been to lull everyone into a happy peaceful state, it was a rousing success. For a time it _felt_ as though they had never been separated, even though all they did was talk about the time they'd been apart. Quistis laughed over tales of Selphie and Zell's childhoods and Irvine's rollicking youth in Galbadia. Squall listened to everything and said nothing, but he was still a great deal more present than he'd been lately. Quistis avoided speaking about her adopted parents, instead talking about how much she'd enjoyed her training and being part of SeeD.

 

And ultimately that was what lead into the serious talking.

 

“So, Ultimecia...” said Squall slowly, looking at Edea. “Let's start there. You were possessed?”

 

Edea nodded. As her amber-colored eyes darkened to orange, she sighed and closed her eyes.

 

“Ten years ago, a dying sorceress attempted to attack Ellone. When I heard Ellone screaming, I ran outside immediately and took the powers from the sorceress. And that was the beginning of the tragedy.

 

“Normally when sorceresses pass their powers along, it's like pouring clear water from one vessel to another. But the essence of that dying sorceress infected me like a poison, and the longer her powers stayed within me, the more I began to think of terrible things. I became afraid. I decided that we needed a failsafe in case I should succumb, and so we founded the Gardens and SeeD. All of you are the result of my fear, and for that I am sorry. I wish I could have found real homes for all of you—”

 

“And we ended up here anyway, all together,” said Zell, making Edea look at him. “It's okay, Matron. We're really fine. And this way, we can actually help you.”

 

“Yeah,” said Selphie, nodding emphatically.

 

Edea smiled sadly and bowed her head. Then she straightened, her voice becoming stronger.

 

“The sorceress whose powers I took on was one from the future, a terrible sorceress named Ultimecia. Her power is not nearly as terrifying as her goal, which is time compression.”

 

“Time compression?” Irvine asked with a frown. “What's that?”

 

“Past, present, and future are all crushed into a single moment,” said Edea, her hands tightening. “And when time does not move, nothing moves. Existence ends.”

 

“Why would someone want to do that?” Selphie asked, her voice soft with mixed confusion and horror.

 

“Because if one is the sole existence standing outside that compression, one literally has creation in one's hands,” said Edea.

 

“So she wants to rebuild the world the way she sees fit,” said Quistis, shaking her head. “She wants to become a god.”

 

Edea nodded. “She is...a twisted individual. She takes delight in exerting her dominance in any way possible, which I think Quistis experienced the most...”

 

“Yeah, that 'baby' thing was way below the belt,” said Selphie, her lips thinning.

 

Edea and Quistis shared a glance, but didn't say anything. Of course Edea had seen Quistis shoot Seifer and had heard every word that Ultimecia had hurled in Quistis's face.

 

“But why does she want Ellone?” Irvine asked, looking at Edea with a frown. “She wanted her then, she wants her now...”

 

“I believe it's because of Ellone's special power,” said Edea. When she looked around and saw no surprise on their faces, she smiled slightly. “Ah, so you know of it.”

 

“Sis has been sending us back in time for some reason,” said Squall, shaking his head. “She never told us why.”

 

“She showed you her power but never told you the reason why?” Edea cocked her head. “Even you, Squall?”

 

“Me?” Squall blinked at her. “Why would she tell me in particular?”

 

“Because she's been doing it for you.”

 

Now everyone looked at Squall, who seemed stunned. “What do you mean?” He asked Edea.

 

Edea touched her cheek thoughtfully and Quistis abruptly realized whose gesture she'd been mimicking her entire life. “Ellone and I spent a lot of time together in the past ten years... It was for her sake that the White SeeDs were created, to keep her constantly moving and away from Adel's eyes. I went with her since her need for protection was greater, and we became rather close. She told me that she'd known your mother and she regarded you as her baby brother.”

 

“Wait... what?” Squall goggled. “She... She knows my mother?”

 

“She _had_ known,” said Edea gently. “Ellone always spoke very highly of your mother, Squall. She sounded like a wonderful, kind person.”

 

“And my father?” Squall pressed.

 

“Ellone always said that he was far away... And that she always regretted that he hadn't been by your mother's side. If he had...”

 

Squall dragged his hand over his mouth, his eyes wide.

 

“Holy Hyne,” said Selphie, staring at Squall. “Your dad could still be alive! You could be only half an orphan!”

 

Squall nodded slowly. Then to everyone's surprise, he shook his head hard enough to make his hair fly.

 

“We're getting off-topic,” he said, making everyone stare a bit at him. “What? Look, we have a couple of huge problems on our hands. Galbadia is still hostile. Ultimecia is still at large. And R—” Squall stopped himself. Again he shook his head, less forcefully though no less intense. “We need to figure out what to do next. We have to assume that Ultimecia is still around and biding her time, so how do we respond?”

 

“We know she wants Ellone,” said Selphie slowly, though she still looked at Squall in disbelief.

 

“So we just have to stop her from getting her hands on Ellone,” said Irvine, nodding.

 

“She went off with the White SeeD Ship,” said Quistis, thinking back. “So they should be safe enough.”

 

“Yeah, but for how long?” Zell asked, frowning. To Edea he asked, “Are the White SeeDs strong enough to take on the entire Galbadian Army? Or any sort of hostile forces?”

 

“No and not exactly,” said Edea, shaking her head. “But they are very cautious. They never stay in one place for long.”

 

“Should we trust that?” Irvine mused, leaning back in his chair. “I mean, if she gets nabbed and we're halfway across the world, there's not much we can do...”

 

“Wait a moment,” said Quistis, frowning. She looked at Edea. “You used to be possessed. But Ultimecia doesn't seem the type to give up, so why did she let go of you?”

 

“Because we beat the hell out of her?” Selphie asked brightly.

 

“Ultimecia would not have cared if I lived or died,” said Edea, frowning lightly. “So she would never withdraw to prioritize my safety.”

 

Suddenly Edea's eyes widened. She went grey-pale underneath her porcelain skin.

 

“Matron, what is it?” Zell asked, worried.

 

“Oh my goodness,” said Edea, covering her face in both hands. “Oh my goodness.”

 

“What?” Irvine demanded.

 

“Adel,” Edea breathed.

 

“Adel?” Quistis blinked. “Sorceress Adel?”

 

“She's been dead for seventeen years,” said Selphie.

 

“She has been _missing,_ ” said Edea, dropping her hands. “Everyone assumed she was dead when the new President of Esthar took power, but there was no body, no funeral, and no new sorceress that appeared in the meantime.”

 

“Why's that important?” Zell asked, confused.

 

“Because sorceresses don't die unless we pass on our powers,” said Edea. “Therefore, if Adel were _really_ dead, Esthar would more than likely be ruled by another sorceress instead of a male President. That is why Ellone has spent the last ten years of her life on the White SeeD Ship, we were simply never _sure_ that Adel was gone.”

 

“So if Adel is more than likely alive...” said Quistis slowly. “And... Oh no.”

 

Edea was already nodding. “Ultimecia may be possessing Adel as speak. And Ultimecia's power and cruelty combined with what Adel has already proven herself capable of...”

 

Edea trailed off, her eyes seeing a horror that only she knew. The SeeDs looked at each other in blankly. Obviously two powerful evil sorceresses together were a bad thing, but that was all they could really wrap their heads around.

 

And time compression?

 

“ _It's odd how that feels more present and dangerous,”_ mused Quistis. _“But of course we all know that time travel is indeed possible, while Ultimecia possessing a sorceress that's been gone for seventeen years...”_

 

“So we have two priorities then,” said Squall, making everyone look at him. “One, secure Ellone's safety. Two, locate the whereabouts of Sorceress Adel and make sure she isn't possessed by Ultimecia. Anything else?”

 

“Priority three, _find out who your parents are,”_ said Selphie, grabbing Squall's shoulder. Her eyes were bright and almost frighteningly intense. “You are insanely lucky, Squall. Most of us will never know anything about our birth families.”

 

Quistis nodded, unconsciously touching Seifer's necklace. Even after everything she had never taken it off. Honestly she wasn't sure why she was still wearing it, because there was no point in tormenting herself over someone who was essentially dead and gone...

 

“ _He'd never come back to someone who shot to kill him.”_

 

But she didn't feel like getting rid of it either. Not yet.

 

“ _It's all I have of my parents,”_ she heard him saying from the past. She nodded slightly at that. This necklace wasn't really hers to get rid of.

 

“ _I'm just watching over it, until... Until the end. Whatever that may be.”_

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: Not much to say about this update.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	20. Chapter 20

16 May 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

  


On the surface it was just like old times. Raijin and Fujin guarded Seifer's sides as he cut a bloody swathe through the enemy, which in this case were Estharian monsters and machines that had been left to guard Lunatic Pandora. There were so many of them that neither Fujin nor Raijin could be awed by the sheer size of the structure, nor the peculiarities of Estharian construction. Instead, it took everything they had to keep up with Seifer, who seemed more powerful than ever and correspondingly, even more reckless. More than once he nearly got speared or shot through the back before Fujin or Raijin came to the rescue, and they had to move so fast that there was no breath to even let him know what had happened.

 

The submarine they'd located the structure with waited at the top of the Lunatic Pandora, so the three of them fought their way down to the bottom, at last finding something like a control panel near the base of the multihued Crystal Pillar core. Raijin sank to the ground, pouring sweat and gasping, while Fujin unbuttoned her jacket and fanned herself. Seifer went immediately to the control panel, his eyes focused as though nothing else existed in the world.

 

“What the hell is this,” they heard him mutter. Fujin and Raijin exchanged a wide-eyed glance.

 

“You don't know?” Raijin asked, bewildered.

 

“I don't have to know what it is, I just have to make it move.” Seifer ran his hands over the control panel, making the Estharian controls light up at his touch. “How the fuck do I make it move? Fuj, you're good with computers, do something.”

 

Fujin walked up to the control panel and looked over it. Instantly she knew she had no idea, because foreign language aside, there did not seem to be rhyme or reason when it came to how the control panel itself was actually laid out. Irregularly shaped buttons pressed up against what looked like track balls and screens that were crowbarred into any available spaces. Fujin looked at Seifer and shrugged, making him snarl softly and look back at the console.

 

“Is it even on?” Raijin asked, coming up to the panel.

 

“Is it even...” Seifer laughed, but it was bitter-sounding, ugly thing that made Fujin and Raijin tense. “You're right, Raijin. Find the switch. Let's turn it off and turn it back on again. Wait, we should make sure it's plugged into the damn wall!”

 

“CALM,” said Fujin to Seifer as Raijin's mouth thinned unhappily. Seifer had been very short-tempered lately. And also mercurial, because he sighed at once and looked at Raijin.

 

“Sorry,” he said, embarrassed. “I just... I need to make it move.”

 

“Okay,” said Raijin, nodding. “We get that. But don't take it out on us, ya know?”

 

“I know, I know. I just... It's hard to concentrate,” he said, rubbing his chest.

 

“SLEEP?” Fujin asked in concern. Seifer gritted his teeth. They were _always_ bothering him about sleep! There was no way he could explain what he saw when his eyes were closed, even for something as short as a blink.

 

“ _Balamb Garden is your home.”_

 

“ _How could you do this to us?”_

 

“ _Bombing unarmed civilians...”_

 

“ _I love you too.”_

 

Seifer was the Sorceress's Knight. He had always known that since childhood, practically since being born, that he needed to serve her and protect her as best he could. It had given him guidance and clarity his entire life, so why...

 

“ _Why do I feel so bad?”_

 

He knew objectively why he shouldn't. Balamb Garden had never valued him despite everything he'd done for them, and sending him on a mission meant to fail was the exact opposite of trust. They thought _nothing_ of him, second-guessing his every movement and even accusing him of cheating when he did what he was supposed to do. Cid hadn't been any help, the bastard, basically ignoring him as soon as they'd left the orphanage and then dumping him as soon as he had an excuse. Squall and Quistis, who should have been with him as supports from the old days, forgot all about him the first chance they had and now happily tried to murder him for defending their mother. Seifer had always been alone, even with Fujin and Raijin at his side, and it wasn't until he'd found his sorceress that the world finally seemed right.

 

Except now even she was gone, with nothing left for him but her whisper in his ear, promising him dreams to take away the guilty nightmares that made him snap awake at night with pain in his chest and tears in his eyes. He hadn't started having those until she'd left him.

 

“ _Come back,”_ Seifer begged silently, pressing his hands together and touching them to his forehead in prayer. _“I need guidance. Tell me what to do.”_

 

He opened his eyes and looked at the control panel. Except... Now he saw something. Or rather, felt something. Strength beyond his own moved his arms and made him press buttons, a dreamlike quality taking over the experience as Seifer let someone else move him. At his sides, Fujin and Raijin drew back as his sea-green irises briefly turned solid gold.

 

Then Lunatic Pandora shuddered.

 

“Whoa,” said Raijin, looking around sharply. The command console was right at the base of the Crystal Pillar, which was bigger and taller than any building he had ever seen. On the way down Raijin had seen the multiple tunnels leading from the outside of the Lunatic Pandora into the Pillar and had assumed that the structure of the tunnels kept the Pillar up. There was a gap underneath the Pillar and the bottom of the floor, probably about twenty feet high. Raijin and Fujin gaped as the gap decreased and the tunnels leading into the Crystal Pillar creaked as the massive structure began to rise slowly upwards, pulling the Pillar with it

 

“And now to Esthar,” said Seifer, still operating the controls with golden eyes.

 

“ESTHAR?” Fujin repeated, staring.

 

“The Silent Country?” Raijin exclaimed, going pale. “Seifer, man, that is bad! REALLY bad! You don't shut yourself off and _keep shut for seventeen years_ without heavy firepower! If we bring this thing to their house, it's going to be an act of war, ya know?”

 

“Then let it be war.”

 

“SEIFER!”

 

Seifer looked at Fujin and Raijin, the gold in his eyes dimming as blue and green slowly reasserted themselves. But there was no return to normalcy.

 

“What were you expecting?” Seifer asked, his voice cold. “I turned my back on SeeD. I assumed control of the most powerful army in the world. I bombed a Garden and tried to bring down my own home. Do you _really_ think I'll stop because of war?”

 

“WHY?” Fujin grasped his arm, tugging until he looked at her. “WHY THIS?”

 

“Because it's who I am,” said Seifer, looking at the Crystal Pillar.

 

“No, it's not,” said Raijin, shaking his head.

 

“Yes, it is,” said Seifer, looking at him again. “What makes you think you know me better than I know myself?”

 

“I know enough to see that you're all twisted,” said Raijin, pointing at him. “You know, ever since we joined up with you, it's been 'the Sorceress this', 'the Sorceress that'. What the hell happened, man? You _hate_ taking orders. You _hate_ following the rules.”

 

“I'm not taking orders and I'm not following any rules,” said Seifer, his voice getting heated. “Her goals are the same as mine. We understand each other.”

 

“You're eating out of her hand,” said Fujin quietly, making Seifer whip around to glare at her. “You've done so much for her, Seifer. What has she done for you?”

 

“She's given me power,” said Seifer, gritting his teeth. “She set me free!”

 

“Free from what?” Raijin demanded, making Seifer turn around. “Seifer, you had everything you wanted! You got into SeeD. You have a beautiful girlfriend who broke the rules for you—and she's the definition of playing by the rules! Do you remember everyone clapping for you when you graduated? You have respect, ya know? No, don't shake your head. You _know_ you had it!”

 

“You don't fucking understand,” Seifer said in a low snarl, his body starting to shake. Flames boiled off his hands and up his sleeves, making Raijin's natural lightning field crackle to life over his own skin. But Raijin's nostrils flared and he took a step forward, getting right into Seifer's face.

 

“What. Don't. I. Get.” The darkskinned man bit out, lightning sparking in his eyes.

 

“ENOUGH,” said Fujin, blasting them both with wind, but this time neither man moved.

 

“Anything,” said Seifer, his voice low and cutting. “Everything. I've lived my entire life feeling like a caged animal and when I can finally cut loose and be myself—”

 

“Who the hell are you kidding?” Raijin interrupted, making Seifer's face flush dark. “You weren't exactly restrained when we were back home, ya know! The Disciplinary Committee only even _existed_ because you made a case to Headmaster Cid that the students needed more security. And don't even pretend like we didn't have run of the place! People got out of our way! They did what we told them to do! Even the faculty didn't tell us shit when we were on the move, _especially_ you! You were fucking an Instructor! You had more freedom than _anyone_ at the Garden, Seifer! Don't try to feed me that bullshit about being 'caged'!”

 

Raijin could almost see the cracks appearing. Fujin held her breath, the wind magic dissipating from her hands. Seifer seemed frozen in place, breathing hard as thoughts roiled through his head.

 

“...Why the fuck are you even out here?” He asked Raijin and Fujin, looking at them in turn. “If you believe all of that, why are you even out here?”

 

“POSSE,” said Fujin. Pressing her hand to her chest, she said, “Seifer... We're your friends. Your real friends. We worry. When this was about fulfilling your dream, we were all for it. But... But the Seifer we know doesn't dream of war and the world ending. He never would have wanted to make more orphans.”

 

“He just wanted to find a place to belong,” said Raijin, the lightning dying from his skin.

 

The fire around Seifer's hands evaporated. For a moment he looked very tired, like he wanted to sleep for a week or break down crying. Fujin and Raijin waited with bated breath, hoping for some sort of break.

 

“That place doesn't exist anywhere,” Seifer said softly. Putting his hand back on the control panel and turning his back to them, he said, “So I have to carve it out for myself.”

 

Raijin opened his mouth to say something, but Fujin instead walked to Seifer and hugged him. She was just tall enough that she could rest her forehead on the back of his head, and for a long moment Seifer said nothing and did not move.

 

“Get some sleep,” Seifer said softly, lowering his head. Fujin closed her eyes and Raijin had to look away as Seifer said, “We're going to be in Esthar in ten hours.”

 

/\/\/\

 

They circled around Centra for a week before finally finding the White SeeD Ship tucked away in one of the many narrow coves. Shielded on both sides by high blasted mountains that rose like knife edges toward the sky, they initially mistook it for a gleam off the ocean and would have passed by if Edea, who was keeping watch on the bridge, had not insisted on stopping. They floated up to the White SeeD Ship and Edea went out on the 2F balcony with a small mirror.

 

“Code?” Squall asked her as she flashed the mirror at the ship.

 

“Yes,” she said as a series of flashes came back. “Good, they'll allow us to board.” She flashed back something and laughed as lights began to flash all over the Ship. “Oh my.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“Nothing.” Edea smiled. “They're such good children.”

 

“What'd they say?”

 

Edea looked at him, still smiling even as her eyes became melancholy. “ 'Welcome home, Matron.'”

 

When the Garden pulled up alongside the Ship, the deck was packed with people, half of whom were wearing white uniforms and the other half of whom were children. Edea descended first and at once was swarmed by weeping orphans who all reached out to touch her.

 

“I'm so sorry,” she kept saying over and over. “I'm so sorry I let this happen.”

 

“Matron, you fought Ultimecia inside your body for ten years,” said a White SeeD as Squall and the others came aboard. “Nobody's blaming you for anything.”

 

“We need to talk to Ellone,” said Squall to the White SeeD. As one, the White SeeDs on deck swiveled around to look at him and his group. Zell unconsciously raised his fists.

 

“Ellone...” The White SeeD repeated, turning to face him. Squall narrowed his eyes, getting the strange feeling he'd seen this man before.

 

“You picked her up earlier,” said Squall, remembering when he'd seen him last. “You took her from the Garden.”

 

“I also used to pick _you_ up when you were still in nappies,” said the White SeeD, folding his arms across his chest. “Squall.”

 

“What?”

 

“Many of the older children in the orphanage came here,” said Edea over her shoulder to Squall. “They too decided to protect Ellone. This is Orizon, Squall. Do you remember him?”

 

“I'd be surprised if he did,” said Orizon before Squall could worry about GF's eating his memory. “The last time I saw you, you weren't even to my waist. So what do you want? You're a bit old to be crying for Sis, aren't you?”

 

As Squall's mouth thinned in annoyance, Quistis stepped forward.

 

“We have concerns about Ellone's safety,” she said. She summarized their discoveries, not surprised when the White SeeDs nodded along, and finished with, “If Ultimecia makes a play for Ellone, we believe it's safer for her to be with us. Currently there are 112 SeeDs in Balamb Garden and 101 SeeD candidates, and we have already repelled an assault by the Galbadian Army.”

 

“You make a strong case,” said Orizon, looking Quistis over. “However, it's a moot point. Ellone isn't here.”

 

“What?” Squall demanded, pushing past Quistis. The White SeeDs suddenly bristled with weapons, making Irvine put a calming hand on Squall's shoulder. Squall didn't appear to notice. “Where is she?”

 

“After we left you, we did our usual thing,” said Orizon with a shrug. “Wander around, spot missions, you know. About a week ago we ran into a Galbadian patrol that was searching these waters for Ellone. They shot out our engines and we were nearly done for it, but then an Estharian fleet showed up. First they tried to get us to evacuate, but we didn't know a thing about them and it wasn't the first time we've been holed, so we told them to shove off. They were going away when all of a sudden, Ellone ran out from downstairs.”

 

Orizon shook his head. “I've never seen her like that. She was yelling and screaming something and apparently she got the answer she wanted from the Estharians, because she jumped overboard and went with them. The Estharians mopped up and left us... And that's the last we've seen of Ellone since.”

 

“Ellone went to Esthar?” Edea asked, puzzled. “She was kidnapped and taken there as a child. Why would she go with them?”

 

“No idea, Matron,” said Orizon with another shrug.

 

Squall abruptly turned and headed back onto Balamb Garden, making everyone look at him strangely. Quistis left smooth-talking Irvine to make excuses while she went after Squall, who was nearly jogging back to the elevator.

 

“Squall!” She called, catching up to him. “Where are you going?”

 

“We need to go to Esthar,” he said, not slowing down. His eyes seemed overbright. “Right now.”

 

“Esthar is the other major military power in the world,” said Quistis. “If Ellone is there, she'll be safe.”

 

“We need to go to Esthar anyway to find out what happened to Sorceress Adel,” Squall said.

 

“Yes, of course.” Quistis ran lightly ahead and placed herself squarely in Squall's path, making him stop short. “These are important goals, Squall, but what is the rush?” She grabbed him by the shoulders when he tried to sidestep around her, not meeting her eyes. “Squall! Why are you in such a hurry?”

 

“...It's been nine days...”

 

“Nine days?”

 

Squall bowed his head. “Ellone... She can send people back into the past.”

 

“Yes, she can,” said Quistis, looking at Squall's face closely. “Squall... You want to go back into the past?”

 

He closed his eyes. She felt his shoulders trembling.

 

“ _He said it's been nine days... Nine days what? Nine days since... Oh. Oh, Squall.”_

 

“You miss Rinoa,” said Quistis softly, understanding perfectly.

 

Two big tears dripped down from beneath Squall's eyelashes. Quistis's heart ached as she pulled him into a hug, rubbing his back and stroking his hair. She felt a muffled sob in her shoulder.

 

“ _You poor thing,”_ she thought, sighing internally as Squall broke down and wept, shaking with silent misery. _“You kept it to yourself all this time. Don't you know you can talk to us?”_

 

Voices in the hall made Quistis look over Squall's shoulder, and she saw Zell and the rest of their group coming in. She put her finger to her lips, shooting them a warning glare, but even so Irvine had to clap his hand over Zell's mouth to stop the boy from yelping in shock.

 

“We'll go to Esthar,” said Quistis in her most soothing, best big sister voice. As another sob shuddered through Squall, she hugged him tightly and said, “We'll get answers. We'll find out what really happened to Rinoa.”

 

“Am I stupid?” Squall asked, his voice choked and low.

 

“No. Well, only for not talking to us.” She pulled back and gave him a mildly reproachful look, saying, “Especially me. I know very well what it's like to worry about someone who's changed so much and for no good reason you can tell.”

 

Squall nodded. He was composing himself with every breath, but now Quistis knew why Squall seemed to be gone for such large parts of the day and why he was usually found somewhere around the infirmary. Behind his back, she hand-signaled the rest of the group to come forward.

 

“Where's Edea?” She asked as Squall discreetly wiped his eyes and turned around.

 

“She's staying with the White SeeDs,” said Zell with a little sigh. “They know she's 100% good, whereas people here...”

 

“Ah,” said Quistis, nodding. “And what about Headmaster Cid?”

 

“We're actually supposed to talk to him and see if he wants to go with her,” said Irvine, sticking his hands in his pockets. “Apparently they've been talking about it, and with us being all grown up and all, there's no point in him sticking around.”

 

“Who would be the new Headmaster?” Quistis asked.

 

“Xu,” said Selphie. “I mean, she's the Assistant Headmaster right now, so she might as well.”

 

“Then let's talk to Cid and Xu,” said Squall. His voice was so perfectly modulated that if Quistis still didn't feel dampness on her shoulder, she never would have known he'd been crying. “The sooner we get this settled, the sooner we're on our way to Esthar.”

 

They nodded. Squall turned and walked off, leaving Quistis with the others.

 

“What just happened?” Zell asked, looking at Quistis.

 

“He misses Rinoa,” said Quistis, sighing. “A lot more than we anticipated.”

 

“Well duh,” said Selphie, rolling her eyes. “But why'd he keep it from us?”

 

“I have no idea,” said Quistis, shaking her head, but Irvine put his thumbs in his pockets and rocked on his heels a bit.

 

“Y'all don't know?” He asked, making them look at him in surprise. “It's because he's the Commander now. Look, we know how he is. He takes everything seriously, sometimes way too seriously. Case in point, he's been hiding what he really wants to do under the goals we're already pursuing. He doesn't tell us what he's thinking because he doesn't want to look selfish.”

 

“But it's not like we don't want Rinoa back too,” said Selphie, getting heated. “Ooh! He should just say something next time.”

 

“I think it's time for Castle Kickass to make a reappearance,” said Quistis, making everyone nod. “But let's do it in someone's room this time. It'll be easier for him to relax behind a locked door.”

 

“Do we have enough booze for him to relax?” Zell asked, making everyone look at him in surprise; he'd been the most shocked by the underage drinking last time.

 

“We'll figure out something,” said Quistis, thinking about Xu's hidden bar. Xu probably wouldn't object if they took a few bottles... “Whose room?”

 

“Let's use his room,” said Irvine.

 

“His room?” said Zell, looking at Irvine strangely.

 

“Come on, d'you think any of us would be able to pry him _out_ of it?”

 

“Good point.”

 

“I'll go give him a heads-up so he doesn't get mad and kick us out,” said Selphie, jogging down the hall. “See you guys tonight!”

 

Selphie caught up with Squall just as he was leaving the Headmaster's Office and she tried not to be hurt by the flicker of dismay she saw in his eyes when she approached. He was going through some stuff and Selphie was very aware that she could overwhelming at times. It seemed to put off as many people as it charmed. Slowing her steps, Selphie took a moment to organize her thoughts.

 

“Heeey, Squall...” she said, trying not to be too pitchy or squeaky. “How're ya doing?”

 

“...”

 

“Okay, dumb question. Real talk now.” Selphie took a deep breath and hoped he wouldn't blow up in her face. “We're worried about you. And we'd like to hang out with you for a while and make sure you're okay-ish.”

 

“Why?” Squall asked, folding his arms.

 

“Well... Because we're your friends,” said Selphie. She decided to be a little guilt-trippy. “Rinoa would want us to make sure you're okay.”

 

Squall's gaze dropped to the floor. Then he sighed.

 

“I know you mean well,” he said. “But I just don't think that's a good idea. I'm not... I'm not good company right now.”

 

“You don't have to be good company,” said Selphie. “You just don't have to be alone either. Look, I promise we're not going to make you do anything or even make you leave your room. We just want to be around you. It'll be nice. We can watch a movie and just sit.”

 

“ _Please say yes...”_ Selphie whispered in her mind. _“I need the together time too. When I'm alone... When I can't be around the people I care about... I get scared... So don't say no. You're one of my friends too, Squall. Don't cut us off.”_

 

“ _Watching a movie... Just sitting...”_ Squall swallowed past the lump in his throat. He'd done that with Rinoa and Quistis not too long ago, stuck between the two girls as they gasped and laughed their way through a horror parody. It...hadn't been awful. And Squall had really liked Rinoa shrieking and curling up against him, hiding her face behind the ruff on his jacket. Despite everything he smiled a little bit.

 

“Okay,” he said, making Selphie clap her hands in delight. “Let's do it.”

 

That night the friends tossed a blanket over Squall's bed and floor, taped rope lights to the ceilings, and drank at a more measured pace, prioritizing relaxation over silliness. Figuring that Squall wasn't up for extensive human interaction, they instead watched a movie about three beloved pets finding their way back home again and commented on that. By the time the movie was over, Squall was asleep on the bed looking more relaxed than any of them had ever seen. They tiptoed out, but before she left, Quistis brushed a sisterly kiss over Squall's temple.

 

“ _You'll be fine,”_ she thought at him. _“And Rinoa will be fine. One of us deserves a happy ending out of all this. I'll make sure of it.”_

 

/\/\/\

 

In the infirmary, Ultimecia opened Rinoa's eyes.

 

“ _Nine days,”_ taunted the ancient sorceress as Rinoa fought and wept in her own mind. _“Pitiful. Edea held out for ten years.”_

 

Ultimecia made Rinoa's body sit up, or tried to. While trying to keep control of her body, Rinoa also had a pretty good idea of how Ultimecia liked to operate and when Ultimecia pulled Rinoa up, Rinoa went limp at the same time. Both of them winced as Rinoa's body slumped and fell heavily to the floor, cracking her head hard enough that both of them felt it.

 

“ _You fool, it's your own body you're damaging.”_

 

“ _It's not my body if you're never gonna give it back!”_

 

Ultimecia's laugh was chilling. Rinoa felt something like fiery lace fly through her skin and drag her upright with pure power. Jerkily Rinoa's body stumbled upright despite every trick Rinoa could think of; violently flinging herself to the side, going completely limp, and then actively trying to resist every movement. Nothing worked though her body stumbled like a drunk all over the infirmary room, banging elbows and knees and ramming shins into the low bed despite Ultimecia's best efforts.

 

“ _You do yourself no favors, child,”_ said Ultimecia even as Rinoa got the impression of Ultimecia trying to stuff an octopus into a string bag. _Good. Be the octopus._ Rinoa tried to make herself flail and laughed/winced when her body fell over, slamming facefirst into the ground. Ultimecia seemed to swell with irritation, which made Rinoa brace for the sorceress's retaliation. So far Ultimecia had basically ignored her while trying to wrest control of her body away from Rinoa's mind, but that didn't mean that when Rinoa didn't feel the effects of her temper. Pain was the usual go-to, and while Rinoa sobbed her way through migraines from hell, Ultimecia would patiently feed more of her power into Rinoa's body. After nine days, she had hit critical mass. And now Rinoa wondered what Ultimecia would try to do since pain obviously wasn't deterring Rinoa from resisting.

 

“ _You are a fool,”_ said Ultimecia, her voice thundering with growing temper in Rinoa's head. _“You should be honored by my presence.”_

 

“ _Oh yeah, because a foreign invader in an intimate space is_ always _welcome!”_

 

Rinoa yelped as Ultimecia slapped her with power. _“You should have more respect for your elder sister.”_

 

“ _...what?!”_

 

“ _Haven't you ever wondered why I'm able to be here with you, Rinoa?”_

 

It was the only time Ultimecia had ever used Rinoa's name. The darkhaired girl swallowed, trepidation distracting her from the fact that Ultimecia had picked up her body and gotten it to stand up again.

 

“ _You haven't once wondered why I'm able to take control of you?”_ Ultimecia oozed condescension. _“Indeed, why_ you? _Your friend Selphie is so beloved of Luck itself that she can cast spells like some spend money when her life is in danger. She would have been a fine vessel.”_

 

“ _Leave Selphie alone!”_ Rinoa shrilled, fear and anger making her feel like her hair was standing on end.

 

Ultimecia just laughed, flexing tendrils of power. White light shimmered over Rinoa's body as Ultimecia dragged one foot forward, making Rinoa take a step. Belatedly Rinoa remembered to struggle, but nothing happened other than a weird convulsive jerk. Her body remained standing.

 

“ _Oh, and your friend Quistis... She would have been a wonderful vessel too. Don't you think? So strong. So talented. So powerful with her blue magic and her weapon. She's far more useful than you. Everyone knows it. Squall... That boy... He cares for her so much more.”_

 

“ _So what if he does?”_ Rinoa snapped even as her heart seized anxiously. _“They know each other. They've grown up together.”_

 

“ _He'll toss you over for her,”_ Ultimecia seemed to purr. _“Just as Seifer did.”_

 

“ _That was completely different!”_

 

“ _Oh? Not to me. Not to anyone with eyes. Silly little Rinoa, thinking your passion and your drive actually_ count _for anything.”_ Rinoa wanted to clap her hands over her ears at the sound of Ultimecia's derisive laughter; it seemed to go into her heart and rattle it to pieces. _“You are a useless, spoiled girl who stands in the blood of the people your father conquered and despite all your 'noble intentions', you only do what you want because it makes_ you _feel important. Not because it's right.”_

 

“ _Shut up! You don't know a thing about me!”_

 

“ _Of all the occupied territories you could have chosen to rebel in, you chose Timber. Timber, the most strategically important location in all of Galbadia. The only one your father_ cannot _ignore.”_ Ultimecia laughed. _“Such a petty game you play, all because Daddy didn't pay enough attention to his little princess.”_

 

“ _It wasn't like that!”_ Rinoa screamed, but then like a flash she remembered hovering in the doorway of her father's office with scraped knees while Caraway held his head in his hands, raking his hands through his hair; it had turned gray so fast after her mother's death. And he was on the speakerphone, talking about Timber Timber Timber... He paid more attention to Timber than his own daughter, who just got pushed down the stairs at school because her mother was a lounge singer and 'not our kind, dear'--which meant Rinoa was 'not their kind' either... Caraway never noticed.

 

Meanwhile Rinoa's body walked a circle around the infirmary room, still staggering like a zombie but moving more smoothly.

 

“ _Oh, but don't worry, Rinoa... I'm paying attention to you,”_ crooned Ultimecia. _“My little sister...”_

 

“ _Stop calling me your sister! You're_ not _my sister!”_

 

“ _You poor silly child, haven't you figured it out yet? Why I am with_ you?”

 

Rinoa wanted to clap her hands over her ears, but it was physically impossible and useless besides. _“I know what you're implying, Ultimecia, but it's not true! I am_ not _a sorceress!”_

 

“ _You weren't before,”_ Ultimecia said serenely, making Rinoa scream. _“But now, with my power in you... Why don't you learn something, Rinoa? Learn well enough and I'll let you have your body back.”_

 

“ _No!”_

 

“ _Be reasonable, child.”_ Rinoa jerked, staring in horror as Ultimecia raised Rinoa's hand and flexed her fingers. _“You know I will win eventually. Make it easy on yourself and submit to me.”_

 

“ _Never!”_

 

“ _Edea said 'never' too,”_ said Ultimecia as she walked Rinoa's body back to the bed and made her lie down. As she clasped her hands over Rinoa's stomach and sent a ripple of healing magic down Rinoa's skin, Ultimecia chuckled chillingly and said, _“Nine days to have control of your body... I wonder how many days you can hold onto your mind.”_

 

And her chuckle turned into a laugh as Rinoa started to cry.

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: At first the mental image was going to be Ultimecia trying to give Angelo a bath, but the thing is, you can usually wash a dog with enough determination. Getting an octopus into a bag when it doesn't want to go in there is impossible.

   
Added a bit about embedded instructions in Seifer's brain because seriously, how did he move Lunatic Pandora? Finding the thing was difficult enough, but moving that big-ass thing to precise coordinates? Ultimecia would have had access to this knowledge in the future, so in this fic, she transferred the knowledge over when she brought him back to life. It wasn't hard to slip those into a body that she was already remaking in an image that she could use.  
  


I know in-game the focus was always on Squall and Rinoa's relationship, but I think it's silly to discount the other important relationships in his life and especially in this fic, with Squall looking up to Quistis and subtly seeking her approval as an Instructor/big sister figure, it's important that the bond is there.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	21. Chapter 21

18 May 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

“Laguna, it's Kiros. Guess what?”

 

“What?” Laguna called into the loudspeaker. Was he getting fatter or were the spacesuits getting tighter?

 

“I met the faeries.”

 

“The faeries?” Laguna repeated, yanking on an especially puffy arm. He was definitely getting fatter. “Like, the back-then faeries?”

 

“Yeah, the back-then faeries.” Kiros sighed, making the loudspeaker on the space station crackle. “Look, Elle told you about what they were, right?”

 

“People from present-day that she stuck in our heads to change the past,” said Laguna, but stopped as the import of his words actually hit him. “WHAT!? YOU MET THE FAERIES?!”

 

“ _That's_ the reaction I was looking for,” said Kiros smugly. In a more serious tone he said, “They're SeeDs.”

 

Laguna's skin prickled. Even as closed-off as Esthar was, he'd still heard of the legendary combat specialists. “Great Hyne, no wonder we got so much power in battle.”

 

“Yeah, makes sense. Anyway, three of them want to see Ellone. Well... Two and a half.”

 

“What do you mean, two and a half?”

 

“The half is a girl that's been in a coma,” said Kiros, making Laguna sigh in sympathy. “They want to see if Ellone can find out why she's like that. And since Elle isn't coming back down here for anything...”

 

“Right, right,” said Laguna, shuddering a bit. Ellone (all grown up! He'd nearly fainted when he'd first seen her) had told him all about Ultimecia and after some discussion, they'd come to the conclusion that for now, space was the safest place for Ellone to be. Currently she was resting in the Presidential Chamber while Laguna was going out to check on Adel. He never felt right without personally inspecting the numbers. However, this space suit was not going to do. As Laguna struggled out of the suit, he heard Kiros's impatient sigh. “What?”

 

“Laguna, can they come up to see Elle?”

 

“Sure, sure. They're the faeries. Wouldn't be alive without 'em, seems pretty bad to turn 'em down now. Besides, Elle knows them so they can't be that bad.”

 

“I figured you'd say that,” said Kiros, chuckling. “Me and Ward feel the same way. Plus one of the SeeDs is sweet on Coma Girl and his hangdog face reminds me of yours.”

 

“Aww, adorable,” said Laguna, trying out to wriggle out of the bottom half of the suit. “Yeah, shoot 'em on up. I'll say 'hi' once I get out of this damn marshmallow constrictor.”

 

Kiros laughed and ended the call. In the end, Laguna had to sacrifice his pants and retrieve them from the pillowy rolls of the spacesuit before being able to escape. It was annoying as hell but he needed to be busy.

 

He needed something to keep his mind off the fact that Ellone had just told him that he and Raine had a son.

 

“ _I have a_ what.”

 

_Ellone sighed, her grip on his hand tightening. They were in the Presidential Wing, the most secure place in Esthar that wasn't actively dangerous. When the fleet had brought Ellone to Esthar, Laguna had nearly fainted with joy and they'd spent the last few hours just talking. Now, however, that looked to be at an end because Laguna could not imagine having another other conversation with Ellone._

 

“ _You have a son,” Ellone repeated. “Yours and Raine's. She was pregnant when I was kidnapped, but neither of you knew it at the time. It was after Adel was sealed and you had all those rebellions, so you sent me back to Winhill...”_

 

“ _The biggest mistake of my life,” said Laguna, shaking his head. “I spent so long looking for you after that, but I could never...”_

 

“ _I know, Uncle Laguna, I know. Well, that's how I met your son.”_

 

_Laguna sighed shakily, bowing his head. “I had a son and I never knew?”_

 

“ _Yes.”_

 

“ _How come nobody told me?” He asked, lifting his head. “I sent people to Winhill for you, Elle. They said Raine was dead and you were gone. But nobody told me about a baby!”_

 

_Ellone sighed, her eyes becoming sad. “I'm not surprised. Nobody... Nobody approved, Uncle Laguna.”_

 

“ _What?”_

 

“ _Even with the marriage certificate and everything...” said Ellone slowly. “No one really...”_

 

“ _Oh my god,” Laguna moaned, pressing his hands to his eyes. “No... I left her alone and pregnant and I never came back...”_

 

“ _We knew you'd come back someday,” said Ellone, touching his shoulder. “She never lost faith, Uncle Laguna. But then she got so sick and when she died, nobody knew what to do with us. And then all these attacks happened... But then Cid and Edea came by in their floating orphanage, so we just...went.”_

 

“ _A floating orphanage?”_

 

“ _Yes, it was a little boat. And then we went down to Centra.”_

 

“ _Centra!” Laguna threw his hands in the air. “You were so close this whole time? You both were?”_

 

“ _I'm afraid so.”_

 

_Laguna burst into tears. He did not stop crying for a long time, no matter how many times Ellone said she was sorry._

 

Laguna sighed. He'd cried too much. Later when he'd tried to ask Ellone for more details, she refused to tell him anything more on the grounds that he would only become more upset. So far he'd made her promise to give him _something_ after the inspection was done, but until then he needed to keep his mind busy. And stay away from Ellone for the moment too. He was so, so happy she was alive but he couldn't look at her without feeling like he'd failed her.

 

Or that, with knowledge of the past, she was punishing him for not being there for Raine.

 

“ _The Ellone I knew didn't have a mean bone in her body, but I_ left _her. And she went to an orphanage and lived on a damn boat for ten years and I... I just gave up. I should have looked harder! I should have looked further! Damn it! She hates me. On some level, I know she has to hate me. Who wouldn't?_

 

“ _Especially my son. My god, I have a son. He must be about seventeen years old. An orphan from birth. What's he doing? Did he find a nice family? Is he still alive? Ellone, why won't you tell me...”_

 

Laguna took a deep breath to stop the tears from pricking his eyes. Well, the visitors tomorrow would help keep his mind off things.

 

And in the meantime, he could try on every suit in the station until he found one that fit.

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: Short chapter, but so thematically different from everything else so far that I couldn't justify sticking it onto a longer update. In this universe, Laguna did not meet Cid and Edea and let them know he was looking for Ellone.   
  
Still trying to figure out how to write Laguna. The version we are most familiar with is a goofball, but the necessities of office have to have rubbed off on him by now. So I'm still trying to find the balance between that and the goofball we all got sympathy leg cramps with when we first saw him in front of his crush.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	22. Chapter 22

20 May 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

“Hm hm hmmm, hm-hm-hm hmm hmm hmm hmm...”

 

“Doot de dooo, do-do-do-dooo...”

 

“Here they come, zooming to meet our thunder; at 'em boys, give 'er the gun,” Quistis sang softly as she, Selphie, and Zell watched the capsules jettison into outer space. It was seriously weird if they slowed down and thought about it, but things had moved very quickly after coming to Esthar, due in no small part to the leaders of the Silent Country being Laguna, Ward, and Kiros.

 

_Squall clutched Rinoa, all but bristling with the intent to summon, as Selphie, Irvine, Zell, and Quistis closed ranks around them, their eyes on the hostile Estharian soldiers. Coming through a hole in the invisible wall had been great in theory, but some sort of system had postively identified them as intruders and this was the consequence._

 

“ _Whaddya think, Quistis?” Zell asked softly, looking around warily. “Can we take 'em?”_

 

“ _Definitely,” she murmured back. The most logical way to utterly destroy their enemies flashed before her mind. “Squall?”_

 

“ _What?” He'd been more than a little out of it since coming to Esthar. Now that his affection for Rinoa was known, he made no secret of dropping everything to look after her._

 

“ _If you soften them up with a GF, we can pound our way out.” She looked around the soldiers, studying their armor. She remembered from her dream sequences that Estharian soldiers favored flexibility over defense, which meant that she might be able to get multiple soldiers with one strike. A razor-edged whip was_ definitely _the best melee weapon in tight quarters like this._

 

_Then for no good reason, all the Estharian soldiers relaxed. The SeeDs exchanged confused glances._

 

“ _Please remain still,” said one of the soldiers, a commander if her differently-colored uniform was any indication of rank. “The Vice President wishes to meet you.”_

 

“ _Huh? Why?” Zell asked, boggling._

 

_The Estharians said nothing. Nobody let go of their weapons. Twenty minutes later, the soldiers parted ranks for a slim, hovering Estharian car that made Selphie coo with appreciation. The door winged open and a tall, slim man with extremely dark skin that looked even darker for his white robes stepped out of the vehicle. Flanked by a pair of Estharian specialist-soldiers who were armed with glowing blades, he walked up to the SeeDs without reservation._

 

“ _Which one of you is Quistis?” He asked, and the sound of his voice made all of them jump._ They had heard his voice before, _albeit younger and a very long time ago. But still... Meeting like this? Now? And he was the_ Vice President of Esthar?

 

“ _That's me,” said Quistis, staring in disbelief. “Are you... Are you Kiros?”_

 

“ _That's my name,” he said, folding his arms. “But I'm not sure I know who you are. Tell me something that only we'd know.”_

 

_Oblivious to the strange looks that she was getting from her friends, Quistis wracked her brains and at last laughed. “Am I still the most self-aware hallucination you've ever had?”_

 

_Kiros's eyes gleamed. “Nah,” he said, starting to smile. “But I named it wrong. You're not a faerie. You're an angel.”_

 

“ _Ooo,” went Selphie, making Quistis laugh. Zell made a less enthusiastic noise, no doubt loooking at the gray streaking Kiros's hair._

 

“ _Dimissed,” said Kiros to the soldiers, who saluted sharply and then dispersed to their original posts. To Quistis, he said, “Welcome to Esthar. What can we do for you?”_

 

“ _Really?” Zell asked, looking around. “Just like that?”_

 

“ _Look, if Quistis is here, I'm guessing the rest of you were running around in our heads too,” said Kiros, tapping his skull. “Which means you've saved our lives on more than one occasion. So I don't mind helping you out, within reason. Again... What can we do for you?”_

 

And from that sudden meeting, things had gotten even stranger. They all met Dr. Odine, who was even freakier in person than he'd been in the dream sequences, and Squall had nearly launched himself at the man when Dr. Odine had started palpating Rinoa all over the place, stopping only when Ward clapped a huge and silently threatening hand on his head. After the SeeDs explained their concerns about Ellone, Adel, and Ultimecia, Kiros and Ward held a quick conference in sign language before Kiros gave the okay for three of them to go up to the space station, which made them all stare with the utter bizarreness and advance of Estharian technology. After a quick rest and something to eat, Irvine had volunteered to go to the space station with Squall and Rinoa. Apparently one of his favorite shows featured cowboys in space and the opportunity to be one was too much for him to resist.

 

“Down they drive, shooting their flames from under, off with one hell of a roar,” Zell added, bobbing his head.

 

“We live in fame or go down in flame,” Selphie sang. “N—”

 

“EXCUSE ME!”

 

They broke off from singing the theme of a popular old TV show and turned to see an Estharian aide rushing into the Lunar Gate. She looked around wildly before her eyes alighted on them, and going as fast as she could in her long Estharian robe, she panted, “You. Foreigners. SeeD, right? You're combat specialists?”

 

“Yeah,” said Zell, looking at her with a frown. “Why?”

 

“Vice President Seagill has a job for you.”

 

“What sorta job?”

 

“Ohh, just come outside!” And with that she ran out. Selphie, Zell, and Quistis exchanged looks before shrugging and heading out. When they exited the Lunar Base, the aide was pointing mutely at the northwest and when they turned to look, Zell nearly leapt out of his skin.

 

“What the hell is that?” He demanded, pointing at the gargantuan structure floating in the distance. It was more than a dark blot on the horizon, it was like a slash someone had cut in the air.

 

“That's your assignment,” said the aide, pointing madly. “The Lunatic Pandora. The Vice President wants you to stop that thing, no matter what it takes, and if you _can't_ stop it, at least find out who's driving it! Now get in the car, please! We have to talk to Dr. Odine and there isn't much time!”

 

Dr. Odine's laboratory was fortunately not far away and the man himself was in to analyze the initial tests he'd done on Rinoa. He was intensely curious about her coma condition, but hadn't had any information for them in the few hours before the Vice President had given them the okay to go into space. Quistis made a note to ask about the data when they had a moment, while Zell made a noise of dismay.

 

“What is it?” Selphie asked, looking at him.

 

“Matron asked me to look into more Odine Jewelry for her,” said Zell with a sigh. “I just hope I have enough money...”

 

“We'll buy out the entire line if it keeps Matron safe,” said Quistis, stirred from her own thoughts. “So far the Bangle seems to be working...”

 

“Yeah, but it's, like, stupid hot whenever you touch it,” said Zell, who had examined the Odine Bangle with great interest when Edea had first put it on. To their surprise, the colored enamel on the Bangle had changed completely, turning what had formerly been a blue-toned piece of jewelry into something that was more red and orange. Apparently even the decorations were stuffed with magic suppressants, which was pretty but also the exact opposite of subtle. It was just as well Rinoa hadn't succeeded in putting it on Edea while she was still possessed, because the treachery would have been instantly apparent.

 

“Ultimecia is probably trying to get in all the time,” said Zell, frowning. “And we still need to find out what happened to Adel. No one's saying anything we don't already know.”

 

They soon arrived at Dr. Odine's laboratory, which was just far enough away to establish how massively tall the Lunatic Pandora actually was. It stood out like a sore thumb and was approximately the size of one on the distant horizon, making chills run down the SeeDs' spines as they mentally extrapolated how large that object would be. It was definitely taller and bigger than Balamb Garden, and maybe all three Gardens combined.

 

“Dr. Odine, the SeeDs are here,” said the aide as they walked into the laboratory. All three of the SeeDs twitched a bit at the sight of him; they hadn't formed good impressions of the man during their dream sequences and his acquisitive interest in sleeping Rinoa also made their skin crawl. And at the moment, he was doing a positively creepy little dance of joy as he giggled up at a massive screen that showed the Lunatic Pandora coming closer to Esthar.

 

“Ah yez, my most precious zubject haz come back to me,” he cooed. “Peace iz nize, of courze, but excitement! Dizcovery! SCIENCE!” He burst out laughing and his dancing became even creepier in a demented clapping monkey sort of way. Selphie and Quistis looked at Zell, who had a face on like he wanted to be anybody but the leader of their little group.

 

“Dr. Odine, please brief the SeeDs on what has to be done to stop Lunatic Pandora!” The aide demanded, desperation in her voice.

 

“Yez, yez,” said Dr. Odine impatiently. Turning away from the screen, he looked the SeeDs up and down before saying, “The control unit iz at zhe bottom of zhe Lunatic Pandora. I will give you ze access cards and warn you zat it iz ztuffed with monsters for security. Which meanz whoever iz driving the Lunatic Pandora iz ztrong enough to cut zhrough zhem all and yet zurvive to maneuver zhe structure.”

 

“What is it?” Zell asked. “Some kinda weapon?”

 

“HAHAHAHAH!” Dr. Odine burst out laughing, nearly snapping over backwards in his mirth. It was _unnerving._ “A weapon? A weapon, he zayz? Oh, only zhe most terrifying weapon in zhe WORLD! Lunatic Pandora is a zhell, boy, a zhell for the zhe Crystal Pillar zhat fell from the zhe moon zo long ago. Do you know what zhis means, hmm?” As the SeeDs looked at him in bafflement, Odine burst out laughing again. “It meanz zhe Lunar Cry iz upon uz! Oh, how I have waited to zee zuch a thing!”

 

“Wait, the Lunar Cry?” Zell asked, frowning. “That old story?”

 

“Iz no story,” said Dr. Odine, wagging his finger at her. “Do you know about zhe big crater in Trabia?”

 

“Are you talking about the Spookhole?” Selphie asked, tilting her head. When Zell and Quistis looked at her questioningly, she only shrugged. “That's what all the locals call it. Sometimes really strong monsters pop out of it, but nothing electronic works around there and even magic is all weird. It's huge and really deep, like you could fit a whole Garden in there. People have died trying to get to the bottom.”

 

“Yez, yez, it iz zhe lazting effectz of zhe lunar radiation,” said Dr. Odine, nodding so furiously that his striped ruffle seemed to flap. “Zeventeen yearz ago, we conducted an experiment to zee if we could zummon zhe monstersz on zhe moon.”

 

“The _what...”_ Zell said flatly. “On the _what?”_

 

Dr. Odine ignored him, rambling on with, “Zhe experiment waz a zuccezz, but zhe alignment waz not correct and instead of zummoning zhe full Lunar Cry, we got more of a Lunar Whimper.” He sniggered, rubbing his hands together. “But now according to my calculations, zhe time iz correct. When zhe Lunatic Pandora brings zhe Crystal Pillar to Tears' Point, zhere will be a FULL Lunar Cry and zhe true power of zhis mysterious artifact will finally be seen!”

 

He was cackling like a madman again. Quistis, Zell, and Selphie looked helplessly at each other. None of them were really sure what to believe, but a job was a job and they didn't have to _believe_ in Dr. Odine's crazy theories to stop a damn device.

 

“Just give us the access cards already,” said Zell, holding out his hand. “And tell us how to get in.”

 

“Remember, your mission is to either stop the device or at least find out who's driving it,” said the aide as Dr. Odine pouted and slunk off to find the necessary materials. “The President believes that the Lunar Cry IS possible, and if that's the case, the calculations indicate that it could probably wipe out half of Esthar. We're evacuating the country now.”

 

“Wait, what?” Zell exclaimed, staring at her in shock. The phrase 'evacuating the country' sent chills through everyone's stomachs and made them wonder if there was actually anything crazy in what Odine had said at all. Had they been wrong to dismiss him?

 

“How long until Lunatic Pandora reaches Tears' Point?” Quistis asked the aide.

 

“We estimate about another six hours,” said the aide, her lips pressed into a tight and unhappy line. “If that's the case, even moving at top speed, we'll only have about half the population safe.”

 

“But wait, it's an Estharian weapon!” Selphie exclaimed. “Why are you evacuating your own people?”

 

“Because _we_ didn't pull it up here,” said the aide, fretting. “We sank it in the ocean seventeen years ago. We never wanted to see it again! Sorceress Adel made that thing and every day you would wake up and see it _looming_ over you, and...and...”

 

“It's alright,” said Quistis as the aide began to cry. She didn't look much older than them, but obviously she was old enough to remember life under Adel. “We'll figure it out.”

 

“Someone's going to fire it on us,” sobbed the aide. “I just know it. She threatened it so often if you just didn't obey and after what she did in the Vienne Mountains...”

 

“No one's firing anything,” said Zell, his voice turning hard. As Dr. Odine came back with three keycards, Zell asked her, “Now how do we get onto the thing?”

 

“T-there's a ship that'll take you there,” said the aide, wiping her eyes and dislodging her headscarf just enough to show curling strands of red-gold hair. As she slicked her hair back into order, she said, “M-make sure you're ready to do battle. You'll probably have to fight as soon as you land.”

 

“What else is new?” Selphie quipped, making Zell grin and Quistis chuckle.

 

The Estharian airship that touched down outside Odine's Laboratory was about the size of two cars smashed end to end and practically screamed 'speed' with its long sleek lines and pointed shape. The pilot was a chatty older man who nevertheless started to sweat as he turned the airship toward Lunatic Pandora. As the airship lunged forward in a burst of speed that stole Quistis's breath, she saw the pilot fish a necklace out of his uniform and press his lips to the pendant at the end. It was made of plain steel that seemed to catch the light as he tucked it back into his shirt, but Quistis caught the shape of it against his hand before he put it away.

 

“Excuse me,” she said, keeping her voice calm even as her stomach fluttered and Seifer's necklace seemed to burn against her skin. “Sir. Your necklace. That cross symbol... What does it mean?”

 

“ _It's the same cross as the ones Seifer has on his sleeves... That can't be a coincidence.”_

 

“I dunno,” he said. “Used to belong to my uncle.”

 

“And where is your uncle?” Quistis pressed.

 

“Dead.”

 

“...my condolences.”

 

The pilot shrugged. “Lots of people died under Adel's rule.”

 

“It's just that I know someone who wears the same symbol,” said Quistis, making Selphie and Zell look at her strangely. “But the thing is, he's never been in Esthar. I was wondering perhaps why...”

 

“Beats me,” said the pilot with a shrug. As Quistis sighed in disappointment, he said, “You might wanna look up the Zodiac Braves if you're curious about the symbol.”

 

“The Zodiac Braves?” Selphie asked, frowning.

 

“Big ol' clan-slash-religious-order,” said the pilot. “Hereditary knights and sorceresses. My uncle married into 'em, which is why he's dead now.”

 

“ _Hereditary knights and sorceresses!”_ Quistis felt something harder than a punch in her stomach. She almost missed the pilot saying, “Adel's knight was one of them before she killed him.”

 

“Adel killed her knight?” Zell exclaimed.

 

The pilot turned around in his seat to look at them incredulously. There was something familiar about the blue-green color of his eyes. “How do you not know that?” He demanded.

 

“We're foreigners,” said Selphie self-deprecatingly. “And kids.”

 

“We only know about Sorceress Adel once she started attacking independent territories,” said Quistis as Zell nodded. “And when she murdered the Estharian President. But anything before or beyond that, we don't know very much.”

 

“Holy hell,” the pilot muttered, turning back around. “What do they teach you in those schools? Okay, fine. Estharian history, from a real Estharian.

 

“Adel used to be a perfectly nice sorceress about twenty-five years ago. Kept her head down, helped out her neighbors, and had a knight named Alberich who was her best friend. Alberich was my uncle's wife's cousin, so he was actually around the day that Adel lost her fucking mind for no reason and started killing people left and right. Alberich died trying to stop her.

 

“Anyway, Alberich's family was one of the twelve clans of the Zodiac Braves, a semi-religious order that's served sorceresses since forever. Any famous sorceress has a knight that can be traced to that group of families. And when Adel killed Alberich, the Braves put their foot down and told her they'd never work with her. Adel got the President and the Army on her side, and they stomped out the Braves. There was some cock and bull about the Zodiac Braves trying to secede... It was a hot topic for a long time.

 

“But anyway, t'say thanks for helping me destroy my enemies, Adel murdered the President and took power. You know what happens after that, don't you?”

 

“If we could go back,” said Quistis, trying to rein in her excitement. “You said there were twelve clans in the Zodiac Braves?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Do you know what all of them are?”

 

The pilot burst out laughing. “The hell? Why do you wanna know the names of twelve dead families?”

 

“I actually don't need to know all of them,” Quistis admitted. “Just one. Does the surname 'Almasy' mean anything to you?”

 

Selphie and Zell stared at her, eyes wide.

 

“Yeah,” said the pilot, making everyone goggle at him. “The Diamond Clan. Fire affinity and some elemental fire lore. One of the oldest families among the Zodiac Braves. Their stubbornness was the stuff of legend. It's said that Adel murdered them down to the last baby when they refused to submit.”

 

“Wow,” said Selphie softly. “That is too ironic.”

 

Zell nodded, mercifully silent, and Quistis sat slowly back in her seat. How would Seifer react, knowing he was serving the exact sort of sorceress that his entire family had died resisting? Would it make a difference?

 

“ _Or is it already too late?”_

 

“Why are you asking about the Diamond Clan?” The pilot asked, looking over his shoulder with narrowed eyes.

 

“...We know someone with that last name,” said Zell when Selphie and Quistis said nothing.

 

“Really!”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Man... Ain't that something.” The pilot flew on in silence for a while. “You know... A while back I heard something about the families of the Braves trying to get out of the country. Maybe that's where your friend is from.”

 

Quistis fished Seifer's necklace out from under her battle dress. “I don't suppose you could tell me what this is?”

 

“What what is?” When Quistis came up and showed him the necklace, the pilot immediately flipped it over to see the scripted side. “Oh. Betrothal jewelry.”

 

“WHAT!” Zell exploded, eyes huge.

 

“Jewelry?” Selphie repeated. “So it's not just rings?”

 

The pilot looked at her weirdly over his shoulder. “Whaddya mean 'just' rings?”

 

“Where we're from, it's always rings,” said Zell, folding his arms. “Engagement rings, wedding rings...”

 

“And what happens if you don't like rings?” The pilot demanded. When everyone shrugged, he sighed and rolled his eyes, saying, “We do it different in Esthar. It's not the jewelry that matters, it's the words.”

 

“So what does it say?” Quistis asked, tapping the scripted side. “Nobody can read it.”

 

“Enh, cursive isn't my strong point...” The pilot held the necklace close to his eyes. “And neither are calligrams... Aw, that's sweet.”

 

“What does it say?” Quistis demanded.

 

“ 'I love you without sense or reason',” said the pilot. As he handed her back the necklace, he said, “So it's pretty serious, then?”

 

“It's complicated,” said Quistis, putting the necklace back on. Now she felt extremely awkward about essentially wearing an engagement ring for the past month, but it was an inevitable consequence of not knowing, a state of mind sadly too common for orphans. Still, she avoided looking at Zell and Selphie as she sat back down and mercifully neither of them said anything about her putting the necklace back on, this time outside her battle dress.

 

They flew on in silence for about another fifteen minutes, Lunatic Pandora seemingly staying the same size on the horizon, before the pilot abruptly said, “Labdanum.”

 

“Huh?” Zell looked up at the pilot.

 

“Labdanum. It's one of the Zodiac Brave clans, the Amber Clan. Their matriarch is still around because she was put into prison at the beginning of Adel's Coup. After the President came to power, he popped all the political prisoners free. So she's still around. And there was a lotta crossover between the Zodiac Brave clans. If you've got a friend who's part of the Diamond Clan, she might know something about his family.”

 

“Unfair,” Selphie sighed. “I bet you he's totally not going to appreciate it.”

 

“Who knows,” said Quistis, closing her eyes.

 

“I wonder where he is,” said Zell. “We know he walked away from the last battle we had...”

 

“Or Fujin and Raijin carried him off,” said Selphie. She glanced at Quistis awkwardly as she said, “He seemed...pretty hurt.”

 

“I'm with Zell,” said Quistis, thinking of the strange vision she'd had with Rinoa and Seifer. Thinking of the way the dark-haired girl had kissed him still made her stomach churn and her blood beat a little faster. It had been just that sort of a kiss.

 

“ _It literally brought him back to life... I saw him walk away...”_

 

How had Rinoa been able to do that, Quistis suddenly wondered. Did it have to do with why she'd fallen unconscious since then?

 

“ _No, that's not what I need to be focusing on right now...”_

 

“Let's concentrate on Lunatic Pandora,” said Quistis.

 

“What if Seifer's driving it?” Selphie wondered.

 

“For what possible reason could he be driving it? How could he have found it? And how would he know how to operate it?” Quistis looked out the front of the aircraft, where Lunatic Pandora stood like a dark bisection of the horizon. “More than likely it's someone from Esthar who wants to use Lunatic Pandora for something else. Maybe to destabilize the President's administration or something.”

 

“Ain't likely,” said the pilot from the front seat. “Everybody LOOOVES President Loire. He's a goof most of the time, but you can tell he really cares about the country. As soon as he found out that the Lunatic Pandora was on the move, he sounded the evac order immediately.”

 

“About that,” said Zell, leaning forward in his seat. “How do you evacuate an entire country?”

 

“It's President Loire's pet project,” said the pilot. “As soon as he took power, he started digging out these huge tunnels and complexes underneath the country. That's where everybody's going.”

 

The three SeeDs exchanged incredulous looks. “He must be really popular if he's allowed to dig such a huge evac shelter with no apparent danger,” said Quistis, looking back at the pilot. “How big is it?”

 

“You mean 'how big are _they',”_ corrected the pilot. “And they're huge. He said they were neighborhoods for folks who were just starting out or who needed a leg up, refugees, veterans, you know.”

 

“Smart,” said Quistis, nodding. “So they're all piped with running water, electricity...”

 

“You name it,” said the pilot with pride. “And even artificial sunlight generators. There's farms and stuff down there too. We got a lotta help from the Shumi... Apparently President Loire made good friends with a bunch of them before he came up in the world.”

 

“Wow,” said Zell, stunned. “It's like a movie.”

 

“We're living in the future, kid,” said the pilot amiably. “Incidentally, we've got 30 minutes until touchdown, so get ready.”

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: setting things up for going WAAAY off the rails in part 3 :P And once again my love of Final Fantasy Tactics shines through.

 

Incidentally I was hoping to have the cover image done by now because I actually have the visual for the calligraphy and it is very pretty.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	23. Chapter 23

24 May 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

  
  


The SeeDs checked their junctions, refined items into magic or medicine, and swapped magic as needed. The pilot circled Lunatic Pandora once before finding something that looked like a door near the bottom of the structure; when he matched speed and pulled up alongside the massive black monolith, a door irised open. Quistis, Selphie, and Zell all jumped in, taking advantage of running leaps and carefully timed Float spells to cross the distance. At once, the oppressively stale air of Lunatic Pandora closed around them, making them instantly uncomfortable.

 

“Let's see...” said Zell, looking around. “The access cards are for... Oh, that door. That was easy. Let's go.”

 

“Wait,” hissed Selphie as he took a step forward. “Buffs first, then go? Just in case.”

 

“Good idea.” Rapidly they layered Protect, Shell, Haste, and Reflect over themselves before walking down the hall. Cushioned by so much magic, it was difficult for Quistis to be totally aware of her surroundings.

 

That was what she told herself when they went through the door of the control room, saw Seifer, Fujin, and Raijin, and didn't immediately run for cover.

 

Zell swore and slammed a Quake into the ground in the same instant Fujin spotted them and hurled a Tornado their way. The renegades were popped into the air a split second after the earthshaking spell reached them, so the Tornado sucked Zell, Selphie, and Quistis into the control room instead blasting them down the hall. Raijin blasted them with lightning from midair, but the Reflect spells spat them back at him and the others, making Seifer and Fujin yell with pain before they landed. Raijin winced and readied his staff as they landed. With a roar he rushed forward to cover his teammates while they recovered, but his first powerful swipe at Quistis slowed dramatically as the Protect caught and wove around his weapon, stealing half its force.

 

Nevertheless Quistis went flying, narrowly missing Selphie, and thudded against the wall. Selphie whipped around on her heel and cracked Raijin on the nose with the end of her nunchaku.

 

“How the hell are you even here?” Seifer demanded, surging to his feet. He was visibly thinner but his skin and eyes seemed to glow with fanatical light. “How? How did you know we were gonna be in Esthar?”

 

“Lucky coincidence,” said Zell, making Selphie nod. They dodged as Raijin fired lightning at both of them, but enough of a bolt hit him to recharge his strength and very nimbly for a man his size, Raijin whipped around and whacked Zell hard enough in the head to knock him end over end. This time when Selphie tried to hit him, her nunchaku jerked wildly out of the air as Fujin intercepted the blow with her chakram.

 

“Lucky!” Seifer laughed. “Yeah, let's call it luck. C'mere. I'm crossing your name off my list.”

 

He took a step forward and fire rushed out from his stride, roaring and rising like dragon flame as it surged toward Selphie. Her Reflect shattered, her Shell melted like a globe of ice. As Quistis stared in horror, Selphie shrieked and then collapsed to the ground.

 

And Seifer laughed. But Quistis could not help but look at him as he laughed, because it was the most despairing sound she had ever heard.

 

Even as Quistis's mind reeled in shock, her body was going through the motions of magic and she flung a Curaga at the green-eyed girl, sighing in relief as Selphie groaned and got up with nothing more than slightly red skin. Zell slapped a Shell on her as Seifer took another hard step, this time firing the wall of flame at Zell. Zell curled into a tight ball before the fires enveloped him, and when the flames passed Zell landed on his feet, already casting Curaga. When he lifted his head, Quistis saw burnt-black skin flake off him as he prepared his fists to fight. Quistis threw a Shell on him and was forced to roll to avoid Fujin's chakram.

 

“Take care of the small fry,” said Seifer to Fujin as he strode for Quistis, feeling his eyes seem to burn in his sockets. “She's mine.”

 

“ _Shit,”_ thought Quistis as she saw the look of homicidal anticipation in Seifer's eyes. The last time she'd fought someone like that, she'd been forced to strangle him up close and personal or die. They couldn't get away with simply knocking each other unconscious anymore. She pressed a Curaga into her bruised side for safety.

 

Seifer flicked Hyperion and wreathed it in flame, making Quistis's eyes widen in shock. He sent a burning slash roaring through the air toward her, which she dodged and retaliated with a razor-edged slash of her own. Seifer managed to skip back before the blade at the end of her whip tore his stomach open, but two large rips appeared on other side of his coat.

 

“You never stop, do you?” He said, his eyes seemingly black in the light from his flames. “You never once stopped or even hesitated.”

 

He flicked his wrist again, making something like a serpent of flame spiral through the air at her. It bounced off the edge of Quistis's reflect and splattered against the control room ceiling like an oil bomb. As flames dripped down around her, Quistis cast Blizzaga on Seifer and rolled underneath the shards of ice magic as they shattered; the ice shielded her from the falling flame. When Quistis rolled to her feet, she saw Seifer shrugging off the magical ice with steam boiling off his skin.

 

“I couldn't,” she told him, making his eyes flick over to her position. “I wish to Hyne I could, but as long as you raise your weapon to us, we will raise ours to you.”

 

“Oh yeah, because _that's_ how you show you care,” said Seifer sarcastically, throwing a rude gesture at her. Quistis ducked the fireball he shot off at the same time. “Gee, it must be true love.”

 

“I think about you every day!” Quistis shouted, anguish and anger boiling in her chest. “I wish I didn't, but I do! And it _sucks,_ Seifer! I wish I could just hate you and do my job, but I can't!”

 

“...Well, that makes two of us,” said Seifer in a low voice, his eyes seeming to flicker. “I keep tell you not to fight me, I keep giving you chances to come over and...” Seifer shook his head, the point of his weapon lowering slightly as he muttered, “Doesn't matter. You don't care. You never did. You left me behind, you stopped thinking about me... Everybody forgot about me...”

 

Quistis stuck her thumb underneath the plate of the silver necklace and shouted, “Does this look like I forgot anything?”

 

“...what?” Seifer stared at her, his eyes widening as he recognized the object. “My... Why do you have that?”

 

“You left it in the safehouse, remember?” Quistis unconsciously took a step forward as Seifer's bewilderment increased. “You had to take it off for our mission. But you really didn't want to. You kept trying to wear it and your disguise at the same time, and it kept standing out too much. Remember?”

 

“I thought... I lost it...” said Seifer slowly, his eyes riveted on the object.

 

“I found out what it says,” said Quistis softly, making Seifer inhale sharply. “I found out what it is. And I know where it came from.”

 

“Who?” Seifer demanded, lowering his blade. “Where? What is it? What does it say?”

 

Quistis took another step forward, this time very consciously. If she could get close enough, she might have a chance at knocking him out before he tried to kill her. The naked hunger on his face resonated in her soul, making her desire to keep Seifer alive almost painful.

 

“ _I'll knock him out, and once he's been safely secured and brought back to normal, I'll tell him everything.”_

 

“It's a piece of betrothal jewelry,” said Quistis, making Seifer jump slightly. “I don't know your parents' names. I'm sorry. But I do know there's a beautiful poem on it. No one could tell you what it was because it was in advanced Estharian cursive.”

 

“Estharian?” Seifer looked stricken. “I'm... Estharian?”

 

“Yes,” said Quistis. Now she could see how his height and his bone structure were the same as the native Estharians as she'd encountered, how the Estharian aide had had hair the same red-gold color as Seifer's, how the pilot of their craft had had sea-green eyes.

 

“Do you want to know what the poem says?” Quistis asked, taking another step forward. She estimated she could close the distance in about ten more steps. Could she hypnotize him that long?

 

“ _Fujin and Raijin are also captivated,”_ Quistis realized; in her peripheral vision, neither figure had moved at all. And Selphie and Zell were staying very still too. Quistis hoped that if her attempt failed, they could clean up after her.

 

Because Seifer would most assuredly kill her if he realized what she was up to.

 

“Yes,” said Seifer, the point of his weapon dipping. “What does it say?”

 

It was painful seeing how desperate he was for information, because Quistis knew very well what that hunger was like. She was banking on that to keep his attention as she stepped forward and said, “The poem is just a single line. 'I love you without sense or reason'.”

 

“It doesn't rhyme.”

 

“But isn't it lovely anyway?”

 

Seifer laughed softly and looked away, but it was a gentle laugh and a regretful look. Something that sounded and looked more like the old him. “Did you ever read all the Taciel books, Quistis?”

 

“I'm afraid I haven't gotten through them all,” she admitted. She'd tried reading them after Seifer had changed, but even looking at the covers made her want to cry a little. She'd returned them to the library weeks ago. For a moment her heart cracked, half of it sunning in the past as she and Seifer talked at the SeeD Graduation ball and half of it mourning in the present as she knew what had to be done.

 

“It's what Jon says to Taciel in the third book,” said Seifer, his eyes lifting to meet hers. “Near the end.”

 

“The end of what?” Quistis asked, taking another step forward.

 

“The story,” said Seifer, and she saw fire start to boil around Hyperion again.

 

“Did you ever hear about the Zodiac Braves, Seifer?” Quistis said quickly, pretending like she wasn't keeping an eye on the flames.

 

“Once or twice,” he said, cocking his head. His voice was still calm, which she took as a good sign. “They're pretty obscure.”

 

“Maybe on the Galbadian continent, but not in Esthar. Do you know what they were?”

 

“Sorceresses' knights,” said Seifer, and the flames around his blade seemed to burn brighter.

 

“Yes. And in Esthar, there were twelve families.”

 

“Named after gemstones of the Zodiac,” said Seifer, making Quistis blink. In a singsong he said, “Ruby, Garnet, Amethyst, Diamond; Amber, Agate, Aquamarine. Sapphire, Moonstone, Lapis Lazuli; Turquoise, and Tourmaline.”

 

“ _He really has been studying sorceress tradition all his life,”_ thought Quistis with something like a laugh and a sad sigh.

 

“But they weren't called that,” said Quistis, taking another step forward. Seven more to go. Taking another step forward as Seifer's curiosity mounted, she said, “For example, the Amber Clan was called Labdanum. And the Diamond Clan was called Almasy.”

 

It was so quiet that it felt like everyone could hear Seifer's heart hammering in his chest. Slowly Hyperion dropped to be down along his side, the flames evaporating with seeming gasps.

 

“That's...” He said, stunned. “That's my name.” Seifer dragged his hand over his mouth. “That's _my_ name. I... I'm...”

 

“Your family has been knights for generations,” said Quistis, thinking very carefully about how to phrase her next sentence. “They have always fought for what's right. They didn't serve Adel, you now. They died rather than serve her.”

 

“They died?” Seifer whispered.

 

“All the Zodiac Braves died, except for a few members,” said Quistis. She gestured naturally at Seifer as she took another step, saying, “You, who Matron and Cid found as a very young child and took on as their own.”

 

“Matron...”

 

“You survived,” said Quistis, hoping that thinking of Matron wouldn't make Seifer think of sorceresses and snap him back into his mad behavior. “You and the matriarch of the Labdanum family. She's alive in Esthar, Seifer. And...”

 

“...and?”

 

Quistis took another step. Five more steps to go. It was about six feet. She could probably engage with success if she struck at him now, but the idea of attacking Seifer when his guard was down again was incredibly abhorrent. In a way, he was more vulnerable now than he had been back in the prison nearly a month ago.

 

“She's alive,” said Quistis slowly. “And there was a lot of intermarriage between the clans. She... She's probably part of your family.”

 

Seifer stared at her with the wide eyes of a lost child. Then Hyperion fell from his numbed fingertips with a loud clatter.

 

“My family?” He whispered, his eyes glimmering. Quistis nodded, a lump in her throat making it impossible to speak. “I... I have...”

 

Seifer let out a shaky, rattling breath. Quistis hesitantly took another step forward. She knew the safest thing to do was knock him out, but her arms ached to hold him as tears spilled down his face. But as Seifer started to weep softly, Quistis's heart seemed to pull out of her chest and drag her toward him.

 

Still weeping, Seifer lunged forward and grabbed her neck in both hands. When he lifted his head, his eyes were the color of molten gold.

 

“Nice try,” he said, his voice strangely conversational as Quistis gasped in shock; that was all she could do before he clamped his grip and began to squeeze. Seifer stepped on her whip before she could slash at him and he looked into her eyes as she choked. “But I know you. I know what you're capable of. I can't believe you'd stoop this low for a _mission._ ”

 

“But it's all true!” Zell shouted, panic making him run forward. Automatically Raijin reacted, swinging hard and swatting Zell into the wall.

 

“Seifer, it's really true!” Selphie shouted, and then screamed as Fujin blasted an Aero into her face.

 

Then both Fujin and Raijin turned and looked, agony in their eyes, as Seifer continued to throttle Quistis slowly and intimately.

 

“You thought you could string me along with a custom-made lie, too perfect to be real,” said Seifer, never flinching as Quistis hammered the butt of her whip against his ribs, desperation lending wild strength to her blows. It was like the impacts just flowed through him or didn't even register.

 

Seifer even kept on talking, saying, “You thought you could make me think I _**belonged** _ somewhere. You shouldn't lie about things that are impossible to believe. You shouldn't lie about things that  _matter._ But it's alright... I forgive you. And I'll kill you nice and fast, just like you tried to do for me. But I'm gonna do it right.”

 

Fujin and Raijin gaped, their veins chilling with horror. It was one thing for Seifer to speak in such a way to an enemy or at least he someone he didn't like. But he liked Quistis. He really, really liked her. And he'd never been mean with a girlfriend either, never physical in any way. Seifer was never really cruel to the people he cared about, not when he was right.

 

“ _How long is it going to be until he turns on us?”_ Fujin and Raijin wondered, exchanging horrified glances. Would he even know what he was doing?

 

“Goodbye, Quistis,” said Seifer as flames the color and texture of the surface of the sun floated off his skin. With the last of her air, Quistis screamed with Aqua Breath.

 

Huge bubbles of water, summoned by her pure anguish and the monster soul Quistis had eaten long ago with a Water Crystal, swelled into being and completely engulfed her and Seifer. Instantly the water heated up to near-boiling as they contacted his fire, but the flames went out as Seifer swallowed water by accident and his forward motion stalled as he clutched his throat. He gagged, silvery bubbles of air exploding from his mouth. At once Quistis dismissed the water and Seifer fell to his knees, vomiting up water. Quistis scrambled to her feet, gasping for air through what felt like a throat full of broken glass.

 

“That's it,” said Seifer raggedly, stabbing Hyperion into the floor and levering himself back to his feet. His eyes were back to bright blue-green, but totally devoid of rational thought. It was like the last few minutes had never happened, or had maybe been cut out of his head. Quistis froze as Seifer snarled with pure homicidal fury, “Dead. You. Now.”

 

But as he half-fell, half-lunged at Quistis, Fujin was abruptly in his way, chakram in hand once more. With a metallic ring that seemed to pierce the ears, she swatted his blade aside and put herself in front of Quistis, shaking her head mutely.

 

“What she said,” said Raijin, coming over.

 

“Get out of my way,” Seifer snarled, glaring at the two of them.

 

“NO.”

 

“GET OUT OF MY FUCKING WAY!” Seifer raged, his sword bursting into flame.

 

Raijin and Fujin just folded their arms and stared him down.

 

On the opposite side of the control room, Zell sneaked toward the control panel. He was the leader and as much as he was terrified to look away from the unfolding scene, the mission was still to stop Lunatic Pandora. Steathily Zell crept over the ground, moving as slowly as a chameleon and trying to blend in with the background just as much. With the perfect muscle control unique to martial artists, Zell stood up very, very slowly and looked over the control panel.

 

“ _Alright, now hopefully there's a big old...”_ Zell swore at the unfamiliar controls. _“Ooof course, why would there be an easy STOP button? Why? Aaahh... What do I do? Well... Smashing things at the missile base seemed to work out pretty good...”_

 

But the Estharian construction looked tough and seamless. Slowly Zell put his hand on the top of the control panel and gathered the energy for a Blizzara in his hand. Tilting his palm carefully, he aimed so the long spear of ice that formed would completely pierce the control console. Hopefully that would be enough.

 

Seifer roared at Fujin and Raijin, fire exploding out from him like the sun was trying to rip itself out of his skin. They did not move, they did not even blink, even as the fire roared mere millimeters away from their bodies. Seifer tried to push past them but they shoved him back, not a flicker of change in their expressions.

 

“You're not you anymore,” said Raijin, his voice flat.

 

“We won't let you make this mistake,” said Fujin, her croaking voice stronger and clearer than it had ever been.

 

“Move!” Seifer bellowed, utterly enraged. His flames started to turn white and break into pieces, making Zell, Selphie, and Quistis stare as they went into something like ghostly wings at his back. Flickers around his head resembled a crown or maybe long horns.

 

Fujin and Raijin glanced at each other, seemingly unimpressed by the eldritch changes in their friend.

 

“Okay,” they said as one, and Seifer's flames abruptly vanished as Fujin made a twisting motion with one hand. For the second time in as many minutes Seifer was without air and his face went white with shock as he realized what Fujin had done. Quistis gaped at Fujin's frighteningly still face as she continued to withhold oxygen.

 

But Seifer was not down so easily. Enraged, he swung at Fujin with Hyperion and Raijin parried, forcing him off to the side and back. Selphie hesitated a moment before attacking Seifer from the back, but Raijin knocked her weapon away with a furious, “Butt out!” before engaging Seifer again. It was sad to witness on multiple levels. Raijin was grim and silent with more than mere unhappiness, and it was like every attack broke his heart a little bit more even as his attacks and blocks sharpened to scientific precision. Quistis saw Seifer's swings become wide and erratic as he fought Raijin. She'd seen that carelessness in people who martyred themselves, utterly convinced they were doing the right thing—or at least didn't understand what was wrong. Seifer jerked and ducked as Raijin took repeated shots at his head, his stomach, and feet, stumbling as the lack of oxygen took its toll on him. The fact that Seifer was still moving was awe-inspiring and more than a little frightening.

 

“ _We want to capture him,”_ Quistis remembered saying ten days ago during the battle between the Gardens.

 

“ _CAN'T.”_

 

“ _Seifer's not gonna go for anything. And even if you caught him, you couldn't hold him.”_

 

A low gasp slipped past Quistis's lips as she saw Seifer lunge at Raijin with a killing blow, his eyes achingly empty of purpose. It was like he was moving only because he didn't know how to stop.

 

A shriek of twisting metal and the crackle of broken electronics made everyone whip around. Zell stood proudly by the wreckage of the Lunatic Pandora control panel. Fujin lost her grip on her vacuum spell, not that Seifer seemed to notice.

 

“Yeah, baby!” Zell whooped and punched the air with joy. “How are you gonna control this thing now, huh? Huh?”

 

“It's already on its course, you dumb fucking chicken!” Seifer shouted backacerbically. “All it has to do is pass over Tear's Point and the Lunar Cry will happen.”

 

“Where are you bringing the Lunar Cry down on?” Quistis asked, making Seifer glance at her. “Balamb? Timber? Dollet?”

 

He looked at her like she was crazy. “Here.”

 

“...here?” Selphie repeated, boggling. “As in... Esthar?”

 

“As in right on top of our heads,” said Seifer, as though he were trying to get a basic concept across to a particularly stupid child. The terrifying speed with which his moods changed scared everyone.

 

“Why would you do that?” Zell demanded, eyes going wide.

 

“Oh...” Seifer started smiling, sending a ripple of unease over the entire room. “You'll find out. And in the meantime...”

 

Fire exploded from him like a supernova, swallowing everything in the entire control room. A second later, the fires vanished and then the room seemed to yawn as oxygen flowed in from the outside, filling the vacuum that Seifer had created. This time everybody else was unconscious and Seifer sighed as the amazing power he'd borrowed seemed to thrum and ease from his body, leaving a sense of accomplishment that was intoxicating in its success. Seifer smiled as he looked on the fallen forms of his enemies.

 

“I did it, Ultimecia,” said Seifer, looking up at where he instinctively knew the moon would be. With space to breathe and nobody left to fight, the tears that had been rattled into creation with everything Quistis had said spilled down his face, expunging Seifer of the pathetic, childish longing for connection and family. Lies. They were only beautiful lies. Seifer made himself breathe deeply as useless sentimental sadness cramped his chest. He didn't need a family. He had a sorceress and a purpose. That was all he needed...

 

...So why was Quistis Trepe still alive?

 

The thought seemed to poke Seifer in the head like a hot wire, subtle but oh so difficult to ignore, and Seifer winced as pain laced through his skull. He looked at Quistis, but that just made his head hurt worse and the sentimentality that always pulsed through him at the sight of her made his chest hurt even more. It wasn't like with Fujin and Raijin, who didn't like what he was doing but followed along anyway. No... Quistis disagreed. She was dangerous.

 

“ _She's distracting me from Ultimecia. She always has..._ ”

 

There was only one thing to be done with distractions. Seifer walked over to Quistis and looked down at her, churning emotions making him feel vaguely nauseous. He knew what he had to do and how happy it would make Ultimecia, but when he tried to raise Hyperion and pierce Quistis's heart with it, it was his entire body just locked up. That left fire, but Seifer didn't want to burn her to death. Burning was such an ugly way to die for such a magnificent, beautiful, intelligent woman.

 

“Why do you have to fight me?” Seifer asked, soft and tired. “You know you could make a different choice... You could stand with me. I've always wanted you here...”

 

He could practically see it: Ultimecia ruling the world and turning it into something more than the follies of man, Seifer at her side as her loyal knight, and Quistis at her knee as her Sucessor, the Sorceress-in-Training. It made perfect sense. For a moment Seifer daydreamed of what such a life might be like, where purpose and power and unshakable affection were all tied into a package he had been wanting since childhood... And damn it if Quistis wouldn't look fine in some long, slinky, silky black gown that highlighted the best of what she had to offer...

 

“ _I'll put Quistis somewhere safe,”_ thought Seifer, hooking Hyperion onto his belt with a renewed sense of purpose and something like hope. _“Somewhere she can't cause trouble until I'm with Ultimecia again. And then Ultimecia can talk to her... And we won't have to fight anymore.”_

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: Hopefully more unreliable creepiness. Sorry for the delay in posting; I totally thought I'd put up something for the 22nd, but perhaps it's just as well. I kept editing this chapter over and over again, swinging between Seifer getting explicit instructions versus operating under delusions. I think delusions are more powerful and unsettling.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	24. Chapter 24

26 May 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

  
  


Rinoa curled up in a corner of her own mind. She knew she should be resisting and hated herself for being so scared, but every time she tried to reach out and stop Ultimecia, Ultimecia would hit her. Not with power, but possibilities.

 

“ _Choking Selphie with her own weapon. Slitting Zell's throat when he turns his back. Hanging Irvine. Stabbing Quistis in the eye. And... Squall.”_

 

How many times had Ultimecia made Rinoa murder Squall in her own mind? Cutting his heart out. Burning him alive. Pouring poison down his mouth while he gagged and sobbed. Chopping off his limbs and cauterizing the stumps to have him live as long as possible. Stabbing him through the heart inch by inch until she saw the light stutter from his eyes. Every time Rinoa even thought about resisting nowadays, she found herself in the middle of a brand new horror.

 

“ _I can't... It's too much... I can't do it anymore... I can't see it anymore, I just can't...”_

 

But Rinoa was still aware of what was happening, which was perhaps the worst part. Though her physical eyes were closed, the longer Ultimecia worked through her, the more Rinoa became aware of her senses expanding. She wasn't sure if it was an advancement of hearing or touch that made her know where she was without looking; she knew her body was in space now and that Ellone was coming to take a look at her. And Ultimecia was waiting, all but purring with anticipation. After so many years of searching for Ellone in vain, Ellone was coming to _her._

 

Rinoa was also aware of Squall and Irvine in the infirmary with her, and she could even hear their voices.

 

“I know it's only been twelve days, but it feels a lot longer,” said Irvine, looking down at Rinoa. “Hey, Squall...”

 

“What?”

 

“Look, man... You gotta brace yourself.”

 

“For what?”

 

“...In case this doesn't—”

 

“Don't put that out in the air,” Squall snapped, making Rinoa's heart crack. “I... We don't know anything yet. Sis might be able to help.”

 

“Yeah, okay,” said Irvine, sounding embarrassed. “So, uh... Where is she, then?”

 

“I don't know.” Squall sighed and stood up. “The staffer said she'd been told, but...”

 

“You wanna look around?” Irvine's voice lifted a little. “I mean... I know I'd like to.”

 

Rinoa could feel the air move as Squall made a gesture and Irvine walked off. As soon as the infirmary door hissed shut, Rinoa felt leatherclad fingertips touch her hand. Her cracked heart twisted. She wondered what kind of face Squall was making right now. And what he'd think if he knew she wasn't alone.

 

“Sorry,” Squall whispered. “Sorry it's taking so long. I just don't know what else to do. Everything up until now was just... Getting here. Please... I want to hear your voice again. I want to hear you laugh. And tell me to lighten up. Or even get mad at me. Anything's fine. Rinoa...”

 

“ _How sweet,”_ said Ultimecia, her voice saturated with false sweetness. _“Maybe we_ should _kill him first, just so he doesn't see what you do to the others.”_

 

“ _Just leave me alone!”_ Rinoa cried. _“You've already won! I'm not fighting you any more!”_

 

“ _I win nothing unless my goal is accomplished...”_ Rinoa could feel Ultimecia prowling. _“Time Compression... I will not lose again, not this time.”_

 

“ _...not this time?”_

 

“ _Your past is my future and your future is my past. I don't expect you to understand.”_

 

Rinoa almost withdrew. She didn't understand and more importantly she didn't care. She was useless, broken-down, exhausted, and scared. She just wanted to be left alone...

 

But Squall twined his fingers in hers and held on, and Rinoa reached out for the comfort in his hand. It was simple and present. It couldn't be twisted or misconstrued. There was nothing to be scared of in his touch. She didn't want to let go. And very lightly, Rinoa felt Squall's other hand brush her hair from her face and ghost along her cheek, so soft and tender that she ached toward it. After all the horrors she'd been subjected to, it was sad how desperate she was for just a soft touch.

 

“ _I really hope Rinoa gets better,”_ thought Irvine as he walked around the space station. He looked for Ellone as much as he looked around at the scenery, shaking his head at the sight of peerless black behind the glass. The moon was a glowing specter of pale blue, though there was a weird red shimmer that kept catching his eye the more he looked up. _“Hmm... Where could Ellone be? Maybe I should check the command center. They can send out a call if she's gotten lost somewhere...”_

 

The halls were marked with colored lines on the floor, so Irvine found one marked 'command center' and followed it to an open room ringed with computers and with a ceiling of glass that looked out at the moon and a strange winged structure that hovered in front of it. Looking up at the winged structure sent a shiver down Irvine's spine.

 

“Hey! You!” Someone in a white coat jogged up to him, looking him up and down. “You're not authorized to be on the bridge.”

 

“My mistake, I'm looking for someone named Ellone,” said Irvine smoothly. “Vice President Seagill sent me and my friends up here to meet her and she hasn't found us yet. I don't suppose you could give her a little call and see where she might be?”

 

“Ah, you must be the foreigners,” said a portly man in a white coat, immediately coming over. “I'm Dr. Piet Anthony. Vice President Seagill said you were coming. And I just spoke to Ellone not too long ago. She'll be in the infirmary shortly.”

 

“Thank you very much,” said Irvine, nodding and tipping his hat. Another flash of red caught his eye and Irvine couldn't help but look up at the moon, which here was so large that it dominated almost the entire ceiling. “That is quite a sight. I can't believe how lucky y'all are to get to work up here every day.”

 

To his surprise, Piet and the other whitecoated person looked uncomfortable.

 

“I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?” Irvine asked, tilting his head.

 

“No, no... Well... Foreigners wouldn't know,” sighed Piet. Gesturing for the other whitecoat to go away, he said to Irvine, “Space is fine and everything, but the detail itself is, well... Nerve-wracking. Even after all this time.”

 

“Why? Seems calmer than a cat in a sunbeam.”

 

Piet's mouth twisted. “...Why don't you follow me? I have some screens for you to look at.”

 

Bemused, Irvine followed Piet to one of the main consoles. As the older man tapped some keys, Irvine looked up at the winged structure again. And stared.

 

“Hey, there's people out there!” He exclaimed, pointing.

 

“That's President Loire for you,” said Piet, still typing away. “He always does the inspection himself.”

 

“Inspection?”

 

“Of Adel's Tomb.”

 

Irvine looked at him sharply. He hadn't forgotten the other mission objective. “Adel? Sorceress Adel?”

 

“Yep.” Piet nodded at the winglike structure. “That's her in there.”

 

“ _We were never sure Adel was gone...”_ Irvine could hear Matron saying. His mouth twisted as he looked back up at the structure. _“Welp, I'm pretty sure I can tell her Adel's out of the picture now.”_

 

“We've got every kind of magic dampener, tech dampener, physical restraint...” Piet nodded grimly. “You name it. 17 years and her power's still off the charts.”

 

“Wait, what?” Irvine looked at Piet, his eyes wide. “I thought you called that thing her Tomb. You're telling me she's alive?”

 

“May she rot in there forever,” said Piet in a hard voice, making a murmur sweep around the space station. “Oh, she's definitely not dead... If she were, we'd all be on the ground and there wouldn't be worldwide EM interference. But we can't risk her running loose ever again, not after... Well.”

 

Irvine shook his head. Esthar was an insane country.

 

“And here's the other reason we only stay up here for three months at a time,” said Piet, gesturing at the screen. Irvine looked down, frowning. There was a writhing red mass in front of his eyes.

 

“What am I looking at?”

 

“The surface of the moon.”

 

“Bullshit it's the surface of the moon,” said Irvine, his eyes widening as he recognized what the red mass was. A chill went down his spine. Monsters. It was a sea of monsters. “Y'all opened a portal to hell, didn't you?”

 

“Oh, the portal's always open,” said Piet with grim humor. “The really worrisome thing is how they're massing at one spot. See there?”

 

“Where?”

 

“Look up.”

 

Irvine looked up. And another shiver of horror went over him as he saw a noticeably brighter red spot on the moon, like a growing pimple. That was not a passing flash of red.

 

“Holy crap,” said Irvine, his mind cringing away from the sheer number of beasts required to turn the pale surface of the moon that red.

 

“Holy crap indeed,” said Piet, shivering. “Makes you realize how a buncha monsters can really destroy an empire, huh?”

 

“Why are they doing that?”

 

“Because they're being called.”

 

“Called?”

 

Piet nodded grimly. “Somebody is moving Lunatic Pandora. And the closer it gets to Tears' Point, the more they're going to mass. I saw the figures from 17 years ago, but they weren't anything like this...”

 

“In what way?” Irvine asked, his stomach knotting with dread.

 

“The figures back then were much, much smaller.”

 

Elsewhere on the space station, Ellone wrapped her green shawl more tightly around herself, her mind whirling. Laguna had not reacted well to being told he had a son; in fact, he'd reacted a lot worse than Ellone had ever anticipated. And now that son was here... Squall.

 

“ _Maybe they should just meet now...”_ thought Ellone as she went to the infirmary. As she opened the door and looked in to see Squall turning to face her, his eyes lost and empty, Ellone sighed heavily. _“It would probably do them both a world of good...”_

 

“Hello Squall,” said Ellone, coming to his side. She held her arms out and Squall blinked at her for a second before he stepped into her hug. Her heart ached. When they'd both been children, all she'd had to do was even raise her arms and Squall would instantly run to her, burying his face in her chest or stomach as she'd gotten older. He'd been such a soft, cuddly child. And now when she hugged him, the only softness she felt was from his fur collar and there was more than the hardness of muscle under her palms. Squall was... Changed.

 

“ _Was it me? Was it because I had to leave?”_ Ellone couldn't help but wonder as she let go and looked at him. _“I'm afraid to ask...”_

 

“Hi Sis,” he said, making her smile nevertheless. “It's, uh...”

 

“Let's take a look at your friend,” said Ellone, sparing him the need to sort out his feelings. She looked at the girl lying still on the infirmary bed, her hands clasped over her stomach. “Kiros said you wanted me to look into her past?”

 

“Yeah,” said Squall, nodding. “Right when Rinoa fell into that coma. Maybe... Look, I know you said you can't change the past... But...”

 

Ellone smiled sadly. “I can't. But maybe we can find some answers.”

 

Squall nodded stiffly and tried so hard not to be disappointed. Answers were still good. Better than nothing.

 

“ _I want to hear Rinoa's voice...”_

 

Ellone reached out and put her hand on Rinoa's. Taking a deep breath, she reached for her power and—

 

“ _At last!”_

 

Ellone jerked her hand back with a scream, going pale. She _knew_ that voice. She knew that poisonous touch of the mind. Instantly a hundred thousand memories came back, nightmare scenes of watching Edea slowly lose her mind, anchoring herself with isolation and pain to keep Ellone from ever encountering...

 

“No, no, no...” Ellone moaned, staggering backwards as Rinoa's body began to flicker with white light. Instantly Squall jumped in front of her, hiding her from view as Rinoa's body dragged up into a sitting position.

 

“What's happening?” Squall demanded, his voice harsh with fear. “What's wrong with Rinoa?”

 

“That's not Rinoa!” Ellone cried, gasping and shuddering. Ultimecia. Ultimecia was _here._

 

_Elle froze at the sight of the bleeding sorceress, burned from battle and tottering on bruised legs. She staggered for Elle, long black-purple claws reaching as her eyes burned like bonfires._

 

“ _At last...” she breathed. With a lunge, the broken sorceress pounced and collapsed on top of her, overwhelming Elle with the scent of blood and sour rot. She was dying, but not easily. “This power, it will be mine at last!”_

 

“ _Ellone!” cried two separate voices as Elle screamed, fighting to get away. Over the sorceress's black-winged shoulder, she saw two figures sprinting for her as fast as they could. Like an avenging angel, Matron threw herself on the broken sorceress, grabbing her by the roots of her wings and yanking back as hard as she could. A man dressed in black with a ruff of white fur around his neck rolled and scooped Elle up against him, holding her tight; she saw his storm-colored eyes blaze with thunder and lightning. Elle buried her face in his shirt, but not before she saw the broken sorceress screaming and lunging for her, eyes blazing with madness. Matron's eyes, the color of amber, flared even brighter, and before Elle's eyes, the broken sorceress fell to dust in Matron's hands._

 

“ _Matron...” said the dark-clothed man, his voice choked with pain. “No...”_

 

“ _It's alright...” Matron whispered, staring at the dust covering her hands. She was even paler than usual, the color of bone ash. “It's fine. I can... I can hold her. Ultimecia...”_

 

“No...” Ellone wept as Rinoa swung her legs off the hospital bed, her eyes terrifyingly vacant and the color of molten gold. “Not here, not here, why? Why?”

 

“I will always find you...” said a voice straight out of Ellone's nightmares, coming out from Rinoa's lips. “Ellone. Precious little Ellone.”

 

“Get out of here,” said Squall, over his shoulder. Ellone gasped at the sight of his blue-grey eyes crackling with purpose, seemingly flashing with electricity. All at once it was like she saw him twice, now as an adult and long ago as a child...

 

“ _What does that mean?”_

 

“Run, Sis!”

 

Ellone ran. She was almost out of her mind with terror. She had seen Edea losing herself firsthand, not just becoming disoriented and forgetful but also irrationally cruel, threatening, and terrifying. The White SeeDs had done their best to help, sometimes with potions or magic or just locking Edea in the hold until she managed to reassert control, but eventually it hadn't been enough. During those dark times, Ellone always ran to the furthest end of the ship, hiding with Solberg and Erika and Orizon until it was safe to be around Edea again. She missed them all terribly. Between Solberg's natural white magic, Erika's black magic, and Orizon always hugging her until the shakes went away, she had always been able to believe that things would be alright...

 

“Rinoa, please!” Squall had no idea what he was begging for Rinoa to do, but he knew she was still in her body. She had to be. Putting himself squarely in the doorway as she jerkily walked forward, Squall cried, “Don't give up! Don't... Don't lose hope!”

 

“It's too late...” said that strange, hated voice again. “She gave up a long time ago...”

 

“I don't believe that!” Squall slashed angrily at the air like he could cut through lies with his hand alone. “I'll _never_ believe that! Rinoa!”

 

“ _Squall...”_ Rinoa lifted her head, her heart twisting at the sight of him. She had never seen him look so upset, so desperate. She hated that it was for her sake. But at the same time... _“I hear you, Squall.”_

 

“ _Not for long.”_

 

Rinoa saw something invisible grab Squall and throw him against the ceiling. The room rattled, and then shook again as Ultimecia flicked Rinoa's fingers and slammed Squall into the floor. Rinoa screamed as Ultimecia flicked her hand again and again, directing a lash of power Rinoa could almost see to fling Squall all over the room, bashing him into countertops and cabinets and  _corners_ . Rinoa screamed in pure horror, for all the good it did. Squall tightened up at once, but every impact jarred his guard until Ultimecia threw him headfirst through the infirmary door and into the hall. Shrieks from outside made Rinoa realize there was an audience, but she recognized that only numbly. Squall was lying facedown in the hall now, limp and crumpled. 

 

“ _Squall?”_

 

He wasn't moving. At all.

 

“ _No...”_

 

“ _And now,”_ mused Ultimecia. _“Adel or Ellone? I need Ellone's power, but this current host is too weak where she needs to be strong... And I will need a certain amount of strength to withstand what I must do with Ellone's power... Time to retrieve Adel, then. After I transfer bodies, it will be easy enough to find Ellone again.”_

 

Ultimecia dragged Rinoa out into the hallway. A side effect of so battering Rinoa's would-be knight was that the girl was nearly insensate with horror—hallucinating it was one thing, but seeing the object of her trust and affection hurt in real life was rattling her like crazy. Ultimecia had very little resistance from RInoa as she pulled her down to the command center, following lines on the ground that were oh so conveniently marked. She was all the way down the hall by the time Ellone came back, heart hammering.

 

“ _I saw Squall in the past as he is now, which means that at some point, Ultimecia is going to be beaten to the point of death. Edea takes her on... And the cycle repeats itself... But that doesn't mean time doesn't ever move on. Squall... He has something to do with Ultimecia being that broken down. He has to live. He_ has _to._

 

“ _He really is my last hope.”_

 

Squall was unconscious, but his years of hard physical training had saved him from life-threatening injuries. Ellone ran into the infirmary and after searching through the shocking amount of wreckage, found a first aid kit with a hi-potion still intact. She ran back out and poured it on the worst of Squall's injuries, saving fully half to dump down his mouth as soon as he started to regain consciousness. Squall came back hacking—drinking potions was always rough—but bright-eyed and whole.

 

“Rinoa,” he gasped, surging to his feet. Then he looked at Ellone, stunned. “I told you to run.”

 

“Well, I ran back,” she told him firmly. “Let's find Rinoa. And Ultimecia.”

 

“ _So you can kick her ass.”_

 

In the command center, Irvine heard screaming and turned around to see flickering light in the hallway. Years of training turned dread into action as Irvine pulled his shotgun from the folds of his duster and aimed at the light. Still, his eyes widened when he saw Rinoa staggering into the command center, flickering with white light.

 

“Aw, shit,” he muttered. How many possessed women was he going to shoot in his lifetime?

 

“Hey!” He shouted at Rinoa. “You! Whoever's moving the body. I _will_ shoot you. You got 'til the count of the three to get out. One!”

 

“ _This idiot again,”_ thought Ultimecia with annoyance. She remembered him from her time in Edea's body. With a flick she sent him flying across the command center, nearly shooting someone in the process, and pushed Rinoa over to the command center. There was a trembling person in white who was cringing nearby—lucky for her, unlucky for them.

 

“Get up,” said Ultimecia. As the person cringingly complied, she said, “Unlock the Tomb.”

 

“W-what?” The person went pale. “N-no, I—”

 

“Do it or I will peel the skin from your flesh.”

 

“After you,” said Irvine, rolling up and taking a shot. As soon as Ultimecia heard the snap of his leather duster, she put up a shield and everyone screamed as Irvine's shot ricocheted off her barrier.

 

“Stop firing!” Piet yelled, cowering behind Irvine. “If you crack that glass, we'll all die!”

 

“Fine,” Irvine snapped, throwing a Fira at Ultimecia. Her barrier swallowed it whole and Irvine shivered when he saw glowing golden bonfires in Rinoa's dark eyes.

 

“Open the Tomb,” said Ultimecia to the cringing tech near the controls. As the tech started to hyperventilate, she said, “You fear Adel. But you should fear me more. _I_ am not sealed. And I am losing my patience...”

 

“No, no!” Piet yelled as the tech bowed her head and slowly began to press the release sequence.

 

“What is going on in there?” President Loire's voice crackled through the speakers. He had just re-entered the space station. “What was all that light in the command center?”

 

“Help!” Piet shouted. “We're under attack by a sorceress!”

 

“Rinoa's not a sorceress!” Irvine shouted over the man. “She's a good girl! She's just been possessed!”

 

“Irvine!”

 

The long-haired sniper turned and saw Squall and a woman he still recognized as Ellone running into the command center. Ellone cried out in horror as a mechanized voice said, “Warning. Warning. The first seal on Adel's Tomb has been unlocked. Prepare all restraints.”

 

“How many seals are there?” Squall shouted into the command center.

 

Piet held up two fingers, presumably not to alert Ultimecia, but the witch glanced over and smiled coldly. Turning Rinoa's body around, she looked at Squall and smirked.

 

Then in a flash of white light, she disappeared.

 

“...Shit!” Irvine gasped, surging to his feet. “Where'd the fuck she go? Piet, can you tell?”

 

Piet pushed himself to his feet and ran for the central console, ignoring the sobbing tech on the floor. At once, the glass ceiling of the space station turned into monitors beyond counting and Piet, used to every single one of them, scanned them all in a second.

 

“...There!” He hit a series of keys and magnified one screen in particular while Squall and Irvine were still reeling. “She's in the airlock! That's her in the suit! She's going after the second lock!”

 

A thud seemed to echo throughout the space station, and as though to emphasize that things could always get worse, all the lights went dark. Exactly a beat later, red emergency lights came on.

 

“Warning. Warning,” said the mechanized voice. “Lunar Cry estimated in twenty minutes. Evacuate immediately.”

 

“...what?” Squall and Irvine looked at each other in confusion, but Piet moaned in terror. When they looked at him, a burning blister of red instead made them look at the moon and the teenage boys gaped, seeing the red-ringed eye-like shape that was now forming on the surface of the moon.

 

“What the flying hell—” Irvine gasped.

 

“It's Lunatic Pandora,” Piet cried, starting to shake. “It must have reached Tears' Point! A Lunar Cry... A real Lunar Cry!”

 

The Estharians on the bridge began to panic, utterly bewildering Squall, Ellone, and Irvine.

 

“We're all gonna die!” Someone screamed.

 

“I'd rather get sucked out of an airlock!”

 

“HEY!”

 

Like a gunshot, the sound of President Loire's voice stilled the burgeoning fear. Squall and Irvine turned and nearly fell over at the sight of a slim, pale-skinned man with long unbound black hair striding into the command center, his green eyes sharp with a leader's purpose. The fact that he was wearing a spacesuit did nothing to take away from his authority. The teenagers gaped at a figure that up until now they'd only seen in their dreams as Laguna strode to the command console, his lips thinning at the sight of a still-flickering Rinoa unsteadily pulling on a spacesuit.

 

“Okay everybody, evacuate immediately,” said Laguna, turned around and gesturing sharply at everyone on the bridge. “There's nothing we can do, especially if we're dead. If we hop in the pods now, we'll just outrace the Lunar Cry back home. See you at home, everybody! Elle, make sure our guests get into the exit pods. There's something I need to take care of here.”

 

“What could you possibly need to take care of?” Ellone demanded, grabbing Laguna's arm as he tapped a complex sequence of keys on the command console. Squall and Irvine stepped out of the way as everyone on the bridge ran for the escape pods. “Uncle Laguna!”

 

“I'm changing the code on the Level 2 seal,” said Laguna, his eyes on the command console. “I'm the only one who knows it to begin with, so this is just an extra layer of—”

 

“NO, Uncle Laguna!” Ellone shouted, turning red. When Laguna looked at her in shock, she said, “You said it yourself, you're the _only_ person who knows! Just leave it! Get in the exit pod with us, NOW!”

 

“Elle, I can't—”

 

“Irvine, Squall!” Ellone cried, looking at them. Pointing at Laguna, she said, “Help me!”

 

Irvine and Squall exchanged glances, Squall's more upset than Irvine's.

 

“Guess we can't let a President die on our watch,” said Irvine, a ghost of a smile quirking his lips. “Again.”

 

Squall's eyes only got darker. He looked at Laguna, taking a deep and settling breath. Then he looked at Ellone.

 

“We'll help you, but you have to help me,” he said, his eyes very bright. “Deal?”

 

“Deal!” Ellone said as Laguna sputtered. Then Laguna yelled as Squall and Irvine rushed him, pinned his arms behind his back, and frog-marched him away from the command console. It was not easy. Between the space suit and Laguna being weirdly strong for his age, it took more time than Squall wanted to push Laguna into one of the escape pods and strap him in. Ellone hovered nearby, shouting at Laguna whenever he tried to object. She only relaxed once the pod itself took off, leaving her, Squall, Irvine, and Dr. Piet Anthony standing by the last exit pod.

 

“Stubborn,” Ellone sighed as she walked into the exit pod. She stopped when Squall laid his hand on her arm.

 

“You said you were going to help me,” he said, his eyes burning.

 

“Yes, but...” She stared at him, shock rolling over her skin. “Now? Right now, Squall?”

 

“Yes!” Squall exhorted, practically shaking with suppressed passion. “Right now! Rinoa... I came all this way to help Rinoa and—”

 

“But Squall, she's—”

 

“I don't care! God!” Squall seized Ellone's shoulders, anguish crumpling his face. “I've never felt like this before. Ellone, please. Just... Just send me to where she is. I just... I just want to see her one more time...”

 

Silently Irvine and Piet strapped themselves in, all but ducking their heads in the face of Squall's breakdown.

 

“Okay...” said Ellone, stunned. She touched her taller little brother's face, smiling a little sadly. He had no idea how much he looked like his father right now.

 

“ _Will he ever find out?”_

 

“I don't know if it'll work,” Ellone admitted. “I don't really know Rinoa, but I'll try. Okay?”

 

Squall nodded, swallowing hard. Ellone's heart cracked a little when he sniffled. All at once they were children again, Squall's heart breaking as he asked Sis Elle to please, one more time, tell him about his mother.

 

“Here we go, Squall,” said Ellone, taking his hands. Squall nodded and closed his eyes.

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: No one forgot about this part of the story, did they? Heh.

 

Favorite bits: Anything with Irvine (especially when he's shouting at Ultimecia), Squall reaching out to Rinoa and the subsequent brutal beatdown, and Squall and Irvine frog-marching Laguna into the exit pod.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	25. Chapter 25

28 May 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

  
  


“ _Ow... Ow... Ow...”_

 

Rinoa opened her eyes, and for a second forgot the crushing pain in her ribs as she saw Squall's face very close to hers, his mouth on her mouth. She barely had time to be stunned before a gust of hot air into her mouth made her cough and at once Squall pulled back, eyes wide and shining with relief.

 

“You're alive...” He sat back, almost falling onto the floor with relief. “Oh, you're alive...”

 

“Yeah...” Rinoa winced, clutching her sides. Squall cast Cura and as the pain melted away, she sat up, looking around. “Ow! What happened?”

 

“What's the last thing you remember?” Squall asked her.

 

“Umm...” Rinoa bit her lip. “Being in space... No air. No more life support. And...”

 

“ _Rinoa!” A voice seemed to echo inside her head, momentarily distracting her from the formless black void that was soon going to eat her whole._

 

“ _Squall? Is that... You?”_

 

“ _Yes, it's me! Please! Hang on! Don't go!”_

 

“ _Squall...”_

 

When Rinoa lifted her eyes to look at Squall, the brunet man was looking away, red in the face with an expression of endearing vulnerability. Rinoa laughed softly even as she looked away too, her heart banging in her chest and hurting in a way that had nothing to do with her recently healed ribs. She looked around instead, finding herself in some sort of all-metal structure. There were two discarded spacesuits on the floor.

 

“Where are we?” Rinoa asked, looking at Squall.

 

“...some sort of spaceship,” said Squall, shrugging. That motion seemed to shelve the softer emotions he'd shown only seconds before. “I spotted it when I went to get you.”

 

“ _You came after me?”_ Rinoa's heart seemed to surge, making her want to reach out for Squall. _“In the middle of all that insanity, you came after me...”_

 

“Anyway, um... I guess there was enough power to keep the thing on,” said Squall, looking around with a redness in his cheeks. “The doors opened when we got near them. And the airlock filled up with oxygen automatically. It seems like it's in good shape, so maybe we can fly this thing back home.”

 

“Maybe,” said Rinoa, looking at Squall with great tenderness. Up until now, the height of romantic extravagance had been Seifer punching out the cops when they tried to arrest Rinoa for 'vandalizing' a government building in Timber. But this... This was on an entirely different level.

 

They exited the airlock and came out onto a walkway above what looked like a central hall area. As soon as they stepped inside, an earthshattering roar made them drop to their knees and look around. Squall swiftly checked overhead, but Rinoa peeked over the side of the railing and spotted what had made the dreadful noise.

 

“Squall,” she squeaked, making him turn around and come over to her. His eyes widened when he saw the grotesque, neon-colored creature that was stomping around in the hall below them.

 

“What the hell,” Squall muttered. “What kind of monster is that?”

 

“I don't know, but it looks really unfriendly,” Rinoa whispered.

 

“Also too big to get up the stairs,” said Squall, rising slowly. At once the monster spotted him and roared, but it ran uselessly underneath the walkway, reaching for them with razor-edged arms that nevertheless fell about ten feet short. When nothing awful happened to Squall, Rinoa cautiously got to her feet and peeked over the rail.

 

Instantly Squall's hand was on her wrist. “Careful.”

 

“I'll be fine, I won't tip over,” said Rinoa, looking at the creature and making a face. “Ugh. Super ugly.”

 

“Let's find the cockpit,” said Squall, also looking down at the creature. “It'll be easier to clear that thing with some backup.”

 

“No kidding,” said Rinoa. As Squall stepped back, Rinoa slid her wrist out of his grasp and twined her fingers with his, making him look at her in surprise.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“I'm holding your hand, silly,” she said, smiling. “You don't want me to?”

 

“I need both hands for my gunblade,” he said, blinking. But she saw a tiny pink flush go across his cheeks and Rinoa grinned.

 

“Okay, fine,” she said, letting go of his hand. “You're so practical.”

 

“I'm a SeeD.”

 

“Yes, yes, I know.” And Rinoa laughed, which made Squall huff a little and fold his arms.

 

They crossed the walkway, figuring it would lead to the cockpit, but as soon as Squall pushed the button to open the door, Rinoa screamed as another hideous neon monster spotted them and rushed at them with a roar. Squall almost jumped out of his skin and mashed the button again, but the doors lurched and then jammed in place. At once Squall drew his gunblade, placing himself squarely in front of Rinoa, but he didn't bring the blade up in time and Rinoa shrieked as the monster slashed down, catching Squall in the shoulder with one razor-edged leg and driving him to his knees. Blood rained onto the floor, the loud spatter almost drowning out Squall's gasp of pain.

 

“ _No!”_ Rinoa's brain seemed to explode with the concept. _“Not after everything. Not after I'm finally back. Not with both of us alive... I won't let him be hurt anymore!”_

 

Something cool and electric surged to the surface of her skin, making her eyes burn. Rinoa threw her arms around Squall and _willed_ that he be better, and Squall stared in disbelief as white angel-like wings flared into existence around him, flashing like sun off steel when the monster struck at them again and could not reach them.

 

“Rinoa?” Squall whispered. As he turned to look at her, he realized that he could actually turn, and instinctively he knew that his shoulder was healed. A weird shiver went over him and when he looked at Rinoa, he saw something like white light shining out from under her closed eyelashes.

 

“ _Is she still possessed? No... No, she wouldn't be doing this if she was possessed...”_

 

The monster bashed at the white wings again and again, making Rinoa flinch. Shockwaves of pain raced along the phantom limbs and seemed to shoot straight through her chest, making the panic inside her spike madly. Somehow Squall's affection for her, her own liking for him, and the madness of being possessed and then nearly dying in space had all clumped together to shine like a star in her head; _Squall cannot be hurt. If anything happens to Squall, everything goes to hell._

 

“Rinoa, let me up,” said Squall, trying to get to his feet.

 

“No,” she whispered, burying her face in the ruff of fur around his collar. All the elation of being alive and realizing her feelings had hardened into cold, overwhelming fear. “No.”

 

“You have to let me up.”

 

“No.”

 

Squall could feel her shaking. He wanted to kick himself. Of _course_ she was freaking out, she'd had too many insane experiences in too short a time. Taking one hand off his gunblade, Squall put his hand on her arm and squeezed.

 

“It's going to be okay,” he told her. “I promise I won't let it hurt you.”

 

He was still worried about her? After everything, he was worried about _her?_

 

“Let me protect you,” said Squall, making Rinoa lift her head and open her eyes. He stared at the blue-white light shining out from them, the ruby ring around her pupils. This was not the Rinoa he'd known before.

 

“No, Squall...” Rinoa said softly, getting to her feet. Squall's eyes widened at the sight of the peerless white wings fanning out from her shoulderblades, huge and still wrapping around them. “It's my turn.”

 

“Rinoa...?”

 

Rinoa took a deep breath and pointed at the neon-colored monster on the bridge, her brain seeming to electrify. She knew what was supposed to happen, had felt the energy surge through her own body, but instead of Ultimecia flinging Squall around, she was going to throw the monster.

 

“Go away,” she whispered, flicking her hand. A surge of power raced from her heart, down her arm, and exploded invisibly from her fingers to seize the monster and throw it off to the side. It flew over the rail and landed in the hall below, and all at once there was an even more enraged roar of pure fury as the first monster below took exception to the interloper. As the light faded from Rinoa's eyes, she and Squall stared down in mute horror as the monsters ripped each other to pieces.

 

“Gross,” said Squall. “But efficient.”  
  


Rinoa nodded mutely as the white wings separated into feathers that fell and then vanished into white sparks. She saw Squall looking at the feathers sidelong, not saying anything.

 

“...are you scared of me?” Rinoa whispered, afraid to look at him. “I wouldn't blame you... Ultimecia... She said I was a sorceress and that was why she could possess me...”

 

“So you've been one all along,” said Squall with some surprise.

 

Rinoa flinched at the accusation in his voice, or what she'd thought was accusation. “I didn't know! Believe me, Squall, I had no idea!”

 

“I'm not worried about it,” he said, making her look at him in disbelief. “For the first seven years of my life, I was raised by one and she was never anything but nice. And I know you. So that's that.”

 

“Really?” Rinoa whispered, her voice cracking. “But—”

 

“I'm never going to be scared of you,” said Squall, looking at her head-on. At once he could see every precious memory that made up his picture of Rinoa, from the way she smiled to the way she narrowed at her eyes at something that didn't go her way, how she would cajole him out of his worst moods and elevate his best ones. How warm and accepting she was. He nearly reached out to touch her but had no idea if she wanted him to, so he clenched his hands awkwardly. She sounded so tender and vulnerable. Squall struggled against twin urges to hold her close and tell her everything would be fine, and at the same time make her sit down and come up with a plan together. The Rinoa he knew wasn't SeeD-tough, but smart and strong all the same. She was never down for long.

 

“ _She's had a shock. Like I had, when I thought the missile base team was dead... That's okay. I'll... I'll support her for now. God, I hope I don't screw it up. I know I'm not good with people... Well... I can try. For her, I'll try.”_

 

Wordlessly he held his hand out, remembering how she'd wanted to hold it before. Rinoa looked at it for a second before glancing up at him, and the slow, watery smile she gave him nevertheless made Squall sigh in relief. When she reached out and twined her fingers in his, Squall wondered if she would think it was okay if he kissed her.

 

“...Let's move on,” he said instead, afraid she would say no to him. “We'll be fine.”

 

He never noticed that Rinoa never agreed with him.

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: I was really confused as to why there wasn't a bigger deal made on the Ragnarok about Rinoa suddenly having new powers. It would have been a very easy bit of dialogue to stick in.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	26. Chapter 26

30 May 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

In the days of Odine's most serious research into the Crystal Pillar, a series of structures had been built into the Lunatic Pandora. One set of structures were rooms, or more accurately cells, that had been used to house the prisoners made to work on Lunatic Pandora's construction. There were more comfortable, real rooms for the wardens and major researchers, and Seifer had taken over the room that had used to belong to Odine himself. Fujin and Raijin were locked into wardens' rooms until they could calm down and be rational again: when Seifer thought about the last time they'd eaten or slept, he winced to realize it had probably been over twelve hours ago and they always both acted a little crazy when they were tired and hungry.

 

Selphie, Zell, and Quistis got thrown into one of the prisoner's cells. For some reason, Seifer dragged Zell (chicken-wuss, his name should be chicken-BRICK, holy Hyne) and tossed Selphie over his shoulder, but when it came time to carry Quistis from the control room to the cell, Seifer found himself holding her in his arms. Unconsciously he smiled, remembering their half-wild run from the ballroom to his room a little over a month ago. She'd tripped on the stairs and he'd swung her into his arms just like this...

 

Seifer laid Quistis down gently on the floor instead of throwing her or dropping her like he had for the other two, and as he set her down his eyes went to the necklace she wore.

 

“ _I wouldn't wear this if I had anybody else.”_

 

“ _It's betrothal jewelry.”_

 

“ _I love you without sense or reason.”_

 

Seifer sighed, pressing the heels of his hands into his temples as echoes bounced and rattled in his brain. They disturbed his hard-won calm, showing just how fragile it really was. To distract himself, Seifer reached out intending to unclasp the necklace and take it back, but as soon as his fingers touched the cool metal, he froze.

 

“ _It's all I have left of my parents.”_

 

“ _The Labdanum matriarch is still alive. She could be part of your family.”_

 

“ _I'm bringing the Lunar Cry down on Esthar,”_ Seifer thought slowly, something like horror dripping down his organs. He felt vaguely sick. _“The Lunar Cry will bring down every powerful monster from the moon and probably destroy the whole country. A matriarch... She must be old. She wouldn't survive._

 

“ _The last blood family member I may have wouldn't survive...”_

 

For the first time in a long time, Seifer wondered what the hell he was doing.

 

“ _What has Ultimecia ever done for you, Seifer?”_ He could Fujin asking him. 

 

“ _You're not you,”_ Raijin told him. 

 

“I'm more me than I've ever been,” said Seifer, but there was no surge of reassurance this time. “I'm doing the right thing.” Still nothing.

 

“...Ultimecia?” Seifer called, feeling weak and helpless. He waited with bated breath. She'd answer, right? His sorceress would answer him, wouldn't she?

 

...No. No, she couldn't. She was far away and weak and busy and that was why she needed him to help her. She needed him to be strong for her. Seifer swallowed and took a deep, steadying breath. He couldn't break down now, no matter what, but it was so hard to be dedicated when the person who needed him wasn't there when he needed her.

 

“ _Where's the end of all this?”_ Seifer wondered. _“So I bring down the Lunar Cry, I'm together with Ultimecia again... What then...?”_

 

He thought about Ultimecia. He knew her as a presence like a goddess in his mind, filling him with purpose and clarity. How she was so patient and forgiving when he screwed up, not holding his failures against him forever like everybody else in his life. How she accepted him and praised him for the way he was instead of jamming him into a certain mold—

 

“ _Some knight. Some son.”_

 

“ _You don't want to obey me?”_

 

“ _I will guide you into the man you are meant to be.”_

 

...No. That was all out of context. Ultimecia was human too. She had a temper. She had feelings. Nevertheless Seifer rubbed his temples, troubled, as he slowly realized that Ultimecia...was fallible.

 

“ _And if she's imperfect, if she can make mistakes, then why am I following her more than anybody else?”_

 

The doubt felt like a knife in his head, boring through his skull and brain to inch toward something vital, something that had been pulsing and aching all this time. Something that had been screaming to get out for so long.

 

“ _What the hell am I doing...?”_

 

Objectively he knew what he had been doing. He had been serving his Sorceress. And in her service, he had taken over the Galbadian army, he had fired missiles at Balamb Garden and destroyed Trabia Garden, he was in the process of calling down the Lunar Cry, a catastrophic event that had destroyed the Centran Empire...

 

“ _It's all to protect her,”_ Seifer told himself. _“She needs me.”_

 

Why, though? Why did she need him? And why hadn't she appeared to him in person? Why had she worked through Matron first? That... Was weird, wasn't it? It didn't seem honest somehow... Not trustworthy.

 

“ _But she gave me life. She pulled me back from the brink of death. I... Owe her.”_

 

That seemed true enough. Seifer nodded, feeling resolve trickling through his veins. Finally, something normal in all this madness. Yes. He owed Ultimecia. He needed to pay her back with the life she had given him. It was only right. That was what good children did for their mothers, and what better knights did for their sorceresses. And Seifer hadn't given up so much and worked so hard to be mediocre.

 

“ _Bring it on, Squall. And everyone else who even thinks of hurting Ultimecia... They're going to have to go through me.”_

 

/\/\/\

 

“Ragnarok! SeeD Leonhart, if you're there, surrender the Sorceress immediately!”

 

“Squall, don't,” said Rinoa softly as Squall glared balefully at the exit ramp, his grip white-knuckled around his gunblade.

 

“I'm not letting them take you,” said Squall, looking at her fiercely. “They're wrong. You wouldn't hurt anyone.”

 

“You don't know that,” said Rinoa, shaking her head. The disjointed memory of what she had done on the space station cut the inside of her head like glass, leaking guilt and shame. “Ultimecia could possess me again at any time and make me do... Whatever.”

 

“We'll put Odine jewelry on you. You'll be fine.”

 

“You don't get it,” said Rinoa, her voice trembling. “It wouldn't stop her, Squall. She's too powerful. She's left Edea alone because she had _me_.”

 

Squall shook his head as the Estharian recovery team outside continued to shout for him to give up Rinoa. “I don't care,” he said. “I'm not letting them take you. You're not going out of my sight ever again!”

 

Rinoa smiled as tears burned in her eyes. “But I have to. And they're not taking me, I'm going to go with them of my own free will.”

 

“No!”

 

“Yes,” she said firmly. “I'm going and you can't stop me. Because... Because you need to be able to stop me if... If something happens.”

 

“ _If I lose it again... If she takes me again... Oh, I don't want to do anything worse than what I already have!”_

 

Squall was still shaking his head, but she could see the color draining from it. She sighed sadly. He knew everything she was saying made sense, but he didn't want to admit it yet. He was trying to hold on. Rinoa could understand that very well.

 

“Squall...” She whispered, reaching out for him. She had never wanted to kiss someone so badly, but Rinoa knew that if she showed him the least bit of physical affection, he'd throw down with everyone outside to save her. It was very romantic but terribly impractical and probably would end up with him dead. She touched Squall's arm instead, tears spilling down her face. “Just let me go. It's for the best.”

 

“No,” said Squall, shaking his head still. “Everything will be fine. Just stay close to me.”

 

Rinoa laughed. When Squall looked at her in bewilderment, she smiled and said, “That's what started everything, remember? Back in Timber, when you first came to work with me... 'Just stay close to me'. I have, haven't I?”

 

“Yeah,” said Squall, his gaze softening just a little. “You have. And you will.”

 

“Excuse me,” said a voice from outside that made them look up. “Hi. Is this where my friends are?”

 

“Irvine?” Squall and Rinoa looked at each other in dumbfounded amazement.

 

“Who are you?” One of the Estharians demanded.

 

“The name's Irvine Kinneas, I am a friend and compatriot to the fine people inside the ship, and may I ask you something? What exactly is your plan to deal with Adel?”

 

“Adel?” Squall and Rinoa could hear the fear ripple through the Estharians outside. Cautiously the two of them crept to the opening of the landing bay just enough so they could see Irvine talking to the Estharian team. Even from this distance, they could see how he was practically oozing with charm. The sight of Ellone standing with him made Squall's heart unclench a little more; it was good to know that Sis had gotten out alive and unhurt. The scientist who had been with them on the escape pod was there too.

 

“Yeah, Adel. Sorceress Adel.” Irvine pointed up at the sky, which had turned ominously bloodred. “See, the Lunar Cry, as horrifying as it was, is just the means to an end. Adel walks among you now, and let me ask, how did you get rid of her last time?” He held up his hand as the Estharians started to talk, and very smoothly he said, “The real answer is, 'barely'. You 'barely' got rid of her. And that was back then, when y'all were militarized up the wazoo. You've had seventeen years of peace and I guarantee that your army has its hands full with all the monsters and creeps running all over your land. Do you honestly think that they can deal with that AND Adel at the same time?”

 

Irvine started to pace in an easy manner, but Squall and Rinoa noticed at once how he sidled towards the loading bay of the Ragnarok.

 

“You have no proof Adel is here,” said one of the Estharians uneasily, but the scientist who'd come with Irvine shook his head.

 

“I'm Dr. Piet Anthony from the Lunar Base,” said the man, making the Estharians look at him sharply. “I was stationed to guard Adel's Tomb. I can assure you, the Lunar Cry not only swallowed the Tomb but brought it back down to earth. We made that thing to hold her for eternity: there is no way that it would have burned up on reentry. Adel is here.”

 

Silently Ellone nodded. “I saw the Tomb fall too.”

 

“Who are you?”

 

“President Loire's niece, Ellone.”

 

Now the Estharians exchanged looks that were more fearful than wary. Irvine smiled politely.

 

“So to recap, Adel is definitely here,” he said. “And I doubt she's going to be at all pleased about what's happened to her. Honestly, she could either burn Esthar to the ground _or_ take over again because nobody's around to resist her with the monsters all over the place. Is that what you want? No. No it ain't. I can see from your faces that you don't want that. Who would?

 

“So let me ask you this. You've got a pissed-off, power-mad sorceress down in your land and you need to get rid of her. What are you gonna do?

 

“My suggestion—and you can take this back to whoever you like—is to hire the _premier combat specialists of the entire world._ And look, you got three of them right here, one of which who even has _unique insights_ into the weaknesses of sorceresses _and_ may be the only one on the planet who can go toe-to-toe with Adel.

 

“Do you _really_ think the smartest thing to do is shut her away?”

 

The Estharians were silent. Squall and Rinoa held their breath.

 

“He... He makes a good point,” said a small voice from outside.

 

“Orders are orders,” someone else said, nevertheless sounding rattled.

 

“Are these not extraordinary times?” Irvine asked mildly. “And aren't heroes the ones who make the tough decisions right when they're needed?”

 

The Estharians were quiet again. Squall and Rinoa could see them exchanging glances.

 

“Not to mention,” Irvine said slyly. “You actually have _six_ SeeDs here in Esthar. That is double the crack team you were originally counting on. And let me tell you, _we_ were the ones who brought Sorceress Edea down. You cannot ask for a more qualified team. Let us help you. You won't regret it.”

 

“Where are the other three?” One of the Estharians asked.

 

“Lunar Base,” said Irvine. “Waiting for us to come back home.”

 

“Those foreigners were already hired and dispatched,” said one of the Estharians, making Squall and Rinoa look in her direction. “I delivered the order myself. They... They failed to stop the Lunatic Pandora.”

 

The faces of Zell, Selphie, and Quistis flashed before Rinoa's eyes. She silently pressed her hands to her mouth as a new thunderbolt of horror hit her.

 

“What is it?” Squall asked, seeing her distress. He was concerned too, of course, but he had no idea why her heart seemed to become a frozen lump in her chest.

 

“Ultimecia orchestrated the Lunar Cry to bring down Adel,” Rinoa whispered. “But she needed someone on the ground to coordinate with her. We know it wasn't me, so who else would be on the ground?”

 

“Who?”

 

“Seifer,” said Rinoa, making Squall stare. “Ultimecia possessed me and made me heal him somehow. He walked off. He's still doing her bidding. And now he has our friends. We can't...”

 

Squall raked his hand through his hair, sweating. “Yeah. We have to get to Lunatic Pandora right now.”

 

“But how do we fly this thing?”

 

“I don't know, but the bigger problem is those Estharians outside. What do we do with them? We can't fly off or they'll give chase. We can't let them take you because Irvine and I can't fight Seifer and probably Fujin and Raijin all alone. We _need_ you, Rinoa.”

 

Rinoa nodded mutely. Sealing herself still seemed like the best long-term option, but there would be time for that later, or so she hoped.

 

“You need the right tools for the right job,” said Irvine, his smooth voice giving absolutely no hint of his distress despite the fact that Rinoa and Squall knew he had to be fretting about Selphie. “No offense to my friends, but us three right here are the heavy hitters. Y'all know this, otherwise y'all wouldn't be so worried about my female friend.

 

“Again, I must ask you, do you honestly believe that you can fight Adel without us? That you can defeat someone who's spent every moment of the last seventeen years dreaming of revenge, _without_ a team who's spent just that long _specifically training_ to kill sorceresses?”

 

“Alright _fine_ , you've convinced us,” said an exasperated, fear-tinged voice that neverthless boomed with authority. Squall sagged with relief. “What do you need us to do?”

 

“Well... I'm good with machines,” said Irvine with an easy smile. “But I have no idea how to fly this thing. So...”

 

“We'll fly you to the Lunatic Pandora.”

 

“Much obliged.”

 

“BUT we are stopping by the Presidential Palace first to confirm with President Loire and make sure that you're actually up to the task.”

 

“Very reasonable,” said Irvine, tipping his hat. “Let's be on our way.”

 

Squall and Rinoa backed up as Irvine, Ellone, and the Estharians came into the ship. Irvine came in first and rapidly looked them over, concern easing to relief as he smiled and winked at them. Rinoa flinched as the Estharians looked at her keenly, but even in her unease she could see that they were cautiously hopeful instead of outright afraid. Nevertheless Squall took a half-step to put himself between her and them, his eyes colder and sharper than steel.

 

With Estharians at the helm, the Ragnarok was in the air in moments. Rinoa and Squall rejoined Irvine in one of the small side bays and as soon as they were alone, he grabbed both of them and hugged them hard.

 

“Crazy assholes,” he said, his voice muffled as he buried his face in Squall's shoulder and squeezed Rinoa tight. “Don't _ever_ scare me like that again. Great Hyne, I'm gonna have nightmares about the two of you floating off into space and me not able to do anything...”

 

“You'd do the same for Selphie,” said Squall, his voice only slightly choked.

 

“Fuck yeah, but it's still terrifying to see,” said Irvine, pulling back and looking at them both with intense, searching eyes. “Okay. Good. We have a plan. Rinoa, how are you?”

 

“I'm...fine,” said Rinoa slowly. Laughing a little nervously, she said, “That stuff you said about going toe-to-toe with Adel...”

 

“I know you got it in you,” said Irvine, squeezing her shoulder firmly. “Besides, you got two great friends helping you out and she's got nothing.”

 

“She may have Selphie and the others,” said Squall, making Irvine's face settle into grim lines.

 

“Yeah... She might,” Irvine agreed, his voice low. “So we gotta be prepared.”

 

Silently Squall and Rinoa nodded. Knowing that they had to fly to the Presidential Palace first instead of directly to Lunatic Pandora worried at them like hungry dogs, but there was nothing they could do. Silently they sat and waited for the next turn of their fate.

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: Irvine is channeling a lot of used-car salesman in this, but in a good way. I think this is when I actually started to hear his voice in my head.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	27. Chapter 27

1 June 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

After seeing the power of a failed Lunar Cry in Trabia during his travels, the first thing Laguna had done while in office was get rid of the Lunatic Pandora. But because destroying the damn thing was impossible (and they _had_ tried), Laguna had decided to create a vast network of underground shelters capable of sustaining life in the case of a real Lunar Cry in Esthar. All opponents vocal or otherwise were now keeping their traps shut as 'Loire's Folly' saved their lives, though Laguna looked over the figures Kiros presented him with and sighed.

 

“Worse than I hoped...” He said.

 

“But not as bad as we feared,” said Kiros, folding his arms. Life as the Vice President of Esthar had not made him soft in the least, though Laguna privately thought there was no point in Kiros getting out his katal right now. They were too old and the monsters were too strong. Even with the strength of the faeries on their side, there wasn't much they could do.

 

At the moment they were still in the Presidential Palace. While most of Esthar had been evacuated underground, the government buildings, hospitals, and armories were all heavily reinforced and were currently the only structures standing. Looking out of the window made Laguna wince as he saw shining Esthar cracked, smashed, burning, and broken from the rain of monsters from the moon. Some hundred thousand dead Estharian citizens littered the streets and while the army was doing its best, that number climbed up every hour as everyone tried to evacuate as fast as possible without letting monsters down into the centers below. Sometimes it was all they could do to get the doors shut... Even with people still outside. It was a nightmare.

 

“ _God, how are we gonna come back from this?”_

 

The door to the office slid open and Ward came in, followed by Ellone and three teenagers who seemed vaguely familiar. Laguna smacked himself in the head as soon as he remembered where he'd seen them.

 

“Hey, good job!” He exclaimed. “You got out of the space station alright! Man. That was something.”

 

But even as light as his voice was, he looked at the girl in blue. He remembered seeing her swaying in the airlock, eyes overbright and her steps dragging her forward like a marionette. He had heard about people being blasted out of her way by invisible force as they futilely tried to stop her from deactivating the locks on Adel's Tomb, right before the moon exploded with monsters.

 

But Laguna could tell at a glance that this wasn't the same girl. The girl on the Lunar Base wouldn't have tears in her eyes and wouldn't avoid looking out the windows. Nevertheless his heart was heavy.

 

“ _I'm gonna have to talk to her about being sealed when this is all over,”_ he thought tiredly. _“Innocent or not, she's a tool in a greater plan that's probably going to kill us all. Damn shame.”_

 

“We're here to offer our services,” said the boy with the scar. No, a SeeD. He was a SeeD, ne of the faeries. Laguna remembered him from the space station too, taking Ellone's words as orders. Yet as Laguna looked at the two of them standing near each other, he couldn't help but notice how Ellone avoided looking at the boy. That was odd. Had something happened that Laguna didn't know about? Or did they know each other?

 

“ _They know each other,”_ Laguna decided as he evaluated their body language. They weren't speaking, they weren't looking at each other, but Ellone stood just a bit too close to be acquaintances and not close enough to be good friends. 

 

“ _Don't get distracted, Laguna. Keep it together.”_

 

“Services?” Laguna asked, cocking his head at the teenagers. It was hard to him to believe they were SeeDs, premier combat specialists, but he had Kiros's assurance and Ellone's too. And they did look rather tough. “For what? Monster cleanup?”

 

“Monsters coming down ain't the biggest of your worries,” said the tall teenager in the fedora. “You saw her. You know.”

 

Laguna's lips thinned. “Yeah,” he said, nodding. “Adel's down and around somewhere. Believe me, I've thought about it.”

 

“Make a contract with us so we can hunt her down,” said the SeeD with the scar.

 

“A contract?” Laguna smiled, but it wasn't exactly a happy expression. “Sorry, but we kind of have need of our money right now. In case you haven't noticed, my country is on fire. I don't suppose you'd help out of the goodness of your heart?”

 

“No,” said the scarred SeeD, his voice flat. “But... We'll do it for a trade agreement.”

 

“A trade agreement?” Laguna repeated as everyone stared at the scarred SeeD in surprise.

 

“Your technology is amazing,” said the boy, folding his arms. “Make Balamb Garden the broker for Estharian technology and we'll take that as our payment for destroying Sorceress Adel.”

 

“Do you even have the authority to make a deal like that?” Kiros asked him incredulously.

 

“This here's _Commander Squall Leonhart_ of Balamb Garden, so yeah...” said the lanky youth. “I'd say he does.”

 

Now Laguna had to put his business hat on, and despite everything he felt a little rush of anticipation. “You think you can deliver on your end?” Laguna asked. “I defeated Adel myself the last time she was around, and let me tell you... She didn't go down easy.”

 

“She went down when you tackled her in the back,” said the brunet boy flatly, making Laguna jump in surprise.

 

“How do you know that?” Laguna demanded.

 

The scarred SeeD's eyes flicked over to Ellone, who shrugged helplessly. Belatedly Laguna remembered the surge of faerie-related power he'd felt as he'd smashed Adel into the containment unit.

 

“ _So he's the one who's been in my head,”_ thought Laguna with mixed consideration and trepidation, looking at the boy with new eyes. 

 

“One trade agreement for a piece of Estharian technology, in exchange for _explicitly_ contracting with SeeD Squall Leonhart, Specialist Irvine Kinneas, and our consultant, Rinoa Heartilly,” said the scarred boy, his eyes burning with purpose. 

 

“ _So that's his endgame,”_ thought Laguna, looking at the girl in blue. As she stared at Squall in shock, he thought, _“If we try to take her or otherwise remove her from the picture, the contract is void and they don't kill Adel for us. And it's not like we can kill Adel ourselves. Not right now with everything else going on.”_

 

Laguna could feel his leg starting to cramp up as stress and the shock of being so neatly outmaneuvered rattled him, but he was determined to go down fighting.

 

“The distribution rights to one nonlethal item of Estharian tech,” countered Laguna. “Balamb Garden gets to represent Esthar to the world at large for _that_ product and receives no more than ten percent of the gross profit of sold items. And the contract is broken if you don't kill Adel OR if Miss Heartilly over there...changes her mind. And you let her.”

 

“That won't happen,” said Squall, his blue-grey eyes very cold. They were the color of the storm that gave him his name, dark clouds filled with rain.

 

“So do we or do we not have a contract?” Laguna asked, tilting his head. “The rights to distribute and profit off us, in exchange for the death of Sorceress Adel _and_ the disposal of Sorceress Rinoa _if_ she goes to the bad like she did on the space station.”

 

“ _Sorry, sweetie,”_ thought Laguna uncomfortably as tears welled into Rinoa's eyes. Squall and Irvine glared daggers at him, but he armored himself with a deep breath. 

 

“We're not killing Rin—” Squall started to say, but Irvine whirled around and grabbed him by the arm.

 

“Excuse us for a moment,” said Irvine to Laguna and company before towing Squall to a different section of the room. Rinoa followed a pace behind. “Squall, make the deal.”

 

“Not if—”

 

“ _Shut up and listen, god-dang-it!_ ” hissed Irvine, stabbing Squall in the chest with his finger with each new sentence. His cornflower blue eyes were almost crackling with fear and concern. Squall was stunned, but knew exactly how the tall boy felt. 

 

“Look, if you don't make this deal based on a single sentence you don't like, they're gonna take Rinoa from us. If they take Rinoa from us, we got no chance to help the others on Lunatic Pandora,” said Irvine.

 

“And if it's you, I don't mind it,” said Rinoa, touching Squall on the arm. “If it's your gunblade that pierces my heart...”

 

“Rinoa...”

 

Irvine clapped his hands between their aching gazes, startling both of them into looking at him. He was all but vibrating with anxiety.

 

“Make the deal,” Irvine hissed. To Rinoa he said, “For one thing, I don't ever think we're ever gonna have to go through with it, so it's an empty concession.”

 

“But—” said Squall, his eyes flashing.

 

“For fuck's sake! If it hurts you that much, Squall, then I'll do it for you,” said Irvine, whirling on Squall. He looked angrier and more distressed than Squall could ever remember seeing him. “I already shot our mother, I think I can shoot your girlfriend.”

 

Squall and Rinoa's mouths fell open in shock. Then Rinoa unexpectedly buckled and started giggling, which made Squall stare at her in total confusion.

 

“No, no, it's fine,” she said, laughing softly. “It's really fine. Make the deal, Squall. We'll be okay.”

 

“Are you sure?” Squall asked her, his voice tight with agony. “Because...”

 

“Shh, I know you'll keep me safe,” said Rinoa, catching hold of his hand and squeezing. “And I'll do everything to keep you safe too. I... I won't let her get me. No matter what.”

 

Squall looked mutely at Irvine, who made an impatient gesture with both hands.

 

“Fine,” said Squall, calling over his shoulder to President Loire. “We have a deal.”

 

“Very nice,” said Laguna with a little nod and a smile. “We'll have all the papers waiting when you come back with proof of Adel's death.”

 

“We'll need better equipment.”

 

“Take whatever you need. The palace armory has pretty much everything you could desire, especially when it comes to rare components.”

 

Squall nodded curtly. Ward motioned at them and they followed him outside, leaving Laguna in the office with Kiros and Ellone.

 

“Elle...” said Laguna slowly, looking at her. “We have time to breathe now. So... Tell me.”

 

“Tell you what?” She asked, looking away and rubbing her arms nervously.

 

“About my son, Ellone,” said Laguna, peripherally aware of Kiros looking at him sharply. “My son by Raine. You told me you'd tell me something solid after the inspection. Well, the inspection's over.”

 

Ellone sighed. “Uncle Laguna, I don't want to distract you... You have a lot to worry about right now, and...”

 

“Then give me something to look forward to,” said Laguna, throwing his hands up in the air. “Ellone! Come on!”

 

She sighed. “Fine. When I knew him, he was a sweet little boy. He used to follow me everywhere like a little puppy. Raine told him to call me Sis and he did. I don't think he ever used my full name in the entire time we were together.”

 

“And what was his name?” Laguna demanded, vibrating with impatience.

 

“You're not going to like it, Uncle Laguna...”

 

“Tell me!”

 

“...His name is Squall.”

 

“...Squall?” Laguna repeated, cold shock numbing his insides. “Squall...”

 

“ _Leonhart was Raine's last name,”_ thought Laguna, all but screaming inside his head. No wonder that scarred boy's eyes had seemed so familiar, though Raine's had never been so hard. 

 

But then again, she'd never been a professional mercenary since birth.

 

“Holy Hyne,” Kiros breathed. “That boy? The one we just saw?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Laguna looked out the door where Squall and the others had left. His heartrate, which had already been high because of the devastation of Esthar, seemed to ramp up into a different dimension of stress. Unconsciously he ran forward.

 

“Nope,” said Kiros, instantly in his way.

 

“Move, Kiros! That's my—”

 

“He doesn't know it,” said Kiros, grabbing onto Laguna and holding on tight. “And telling him now would only make him lose his edge.”

 

“He's going up against Adel!” Laguna shouted, fear seeming to peel his skin from his bones. Ellone covered her face with both hands. “If I don't tell him now—”

 

“It wouldn't make a difference!”

 

“I'm not letting my son die thinking that I never wanted him!” Tears flowed down Laguna's face as he wrenched out of Kiros's shocked grip. “Kiros, you saw him. How hard he is. How cold. He's seventeen, he shouldn't look like that! The Commander of Balamb Garden? A SeeD? If I'd just been there...”

 

“You can't change the past,” said Kiros, once again stepping around to bar Laguna from the door. He pointed at Ellone, saying, “We know Ellone sent them back in our heads in the first place. Why do you think she did that?”

 

“Why did you do that?” Laguna asked, looking at her. Ellone stared to cry.

 

“Because I wanted you to see him,” she wept. “I wanted you two to meet so badly... But I couldn't make it happen! So what's the point...”

 

Laguna shut his eyes as tears fell down. Silently Kiros towed him over to Ellone and put his arms around the young woman, standing quietly over them as they hugged each other and sobbed.

 

“I'm sorry,” Ellone tried to say, but Laguna just hugged her tight and rocked her like she was a little girl again.

 

“I'm sorry too,” he said huskily. “I shouldn't have sent you away. I shouldn't have left you both behind.”

 

“He's a strong kid,” said Kiros softly as Laguna sniffed. “Stronger than we ever were. When he comes back, you can tell him everything.”

 

“And not one second later,” said Laguna, even though his chest still thrummed with fear. “God. Well, at least I've got something to look forward to when this whole mess is over. Maybe if we have time, we'll take a trip to Winhill and...”

 

“He'd probably like that a lot,” said Ellone, making Laguna look at her. “Any bit of his past you can give back to him will make a huge difference. He's not as cold as he looks, Uncle Laguna. There's still a son you can be a father to.”

 

“Then I'm going to look forward to it,” said Laguna, breathing deeply. “And in the meantime...”

 

“Yes?”

 

“If... If something should happen...” Laguna rubbed the back of his head. “If he doesn't...make it... Elle, I want you to put me in his head. So I can tell him...”

 

“Of course,” Ellone reassured him, tears welling up in her eyes. “Yes, Uncle Laguna.”

 

“Okay then,” said Laguna, straightening. Rubbing the tears from his face and the cramp from his leg, Laguna said, “Back to business. I got a country to save.”

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: Short but full of stuff. Still trying to figure out Laguna and Ellone. Pretty happy with the political maneuvering in this. 

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	28. Chapter 28

3 June 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

  
  


/\/\/\

  
  


“Oooh,” said Rinoa and Irvine as one as Squall picked up his new gunblade. Estharian tech had made the blade a blazing blue that seemed to made of pure light. Squall picked it up and frowned.

 

“That's weird,” he said, taking a couple of experimental swings.

 

“That's the differential inertia transference,” said the Estharian weaponsmith who'd crafted the new gunblade. “The hard light mass inside the blade will shift to increase the force of your strikes.”

 

“Feels like swinging a half-empty syrup bottle,” grumbled Squall, making Irvine and Rinoa laugh.

 

“Try it,” said the weaponsmith, picking up a bit of scrap iron and tossing it lightly at Squall. Squall slashed at it, neatly cutting it in half as the glowing blue blade seemed to speed up at the height of his strike. Rinoa and Irvine clapped appreciatively. “Got it now?”

 

“Yeah,” said Squall, looking at the blade with new respect.

 

“And because it's hard light,” said the weaponsmith smugly, pointing at a set of barely visible buttons on the top of the blade. “It's retractable. Observe.”

 

“Whoa!” Irvine yelped as the glowing blue sword vanished, leaving only the hilt in Squall's hands.

 

“And boom,” said the weaponsmith, pressing the buttons again; the blade reappeared in the literal blink of an eye.

 

“Me next! Me next!” Rinoa exclaimed, jumping up and down; she wasn't really excited about going back out to fight again, but going through the motions helped chase the fear away. As the weaponsmith brought out her new blaster edge, Rinoa tried to admire the pretty, golden-pearl-like thing for its own sake and not imagine herself killing her friends.

 

“There are Odine circuits on the inside of these blades,” said the weaponsmith, which made Rinoa look at him in alarm before he laughed and said, “Magic-enhancing Odine circuits. Any Status or Elemental Attack magic you put on this will show vastly higher rates of occurrence.”

 

Now Rinoa grinned. Already she imagined slotting Sleep and Wind into the weapon, which would make unconsciousness come quicker than a blink for a weak-willed monster. Plus, the wind might also blast her targets away, which would be very good if her enemies were her friends.

 

“And now your shotgun,” said the weaponsmith, turning back to his bench and giving Irvine his weapon. Irvine cooed over the lustrous silver plating, and he ran his hands lovingly and knowingly over the polished surfaces and sleek new curves. Rinoa giggled a bit while Squall looked mildly perturbed.

 

“Nanomachines inside the barrel will always create custom rifling for whatever ammunition you put through, increasing the accuracy and the power of each shot,” said the weaponsmith, grinning broadly as Irvine cuddled his new toy. “Use it well.”

 

“Oh I will,” said Irvine in a husky voice that made Rinoa burst out laughing. Squall facepalmed.

 

“You enjoy that weapon too much,” Squall said as they left for the Ragnarok. Currently its powerful plating was the only thing estimated to be strong enough to penetrate the protective shield around Lunatic Pandora.

 

“I think I'm going to call her Miranda,” said Irvine, smoothing his hand down the barrel. It was mildly suggestive.

 

“Hey guys?” Rinoa asked abruptly, making them look at her. “What happens after we kill Adel?”

 

“We'll figure it out later,” said Squall.

 

“No. We can't,” said Rinoa, shaking her head. “If Adel can't be possessed, then Ultimecia's coming for me. And then...”

 

Irvine and Squall looked at each other helplessly.

 

“Oh good, there you are,” Kiros's voice floated down the hall. The three teens turned and saw Kiros beckoning at them from a corner they'd just passed. “Come back to the main office. We have something to discuss.”

 

“So Ellone told me about Ultimecia,” said Laguna as they entered, folding his arms. “And I got to thinking, we can't destroy Adel because otherwise Ultimecia will take over Rinoa, like she did on the space station. And we can't destroy Rinoa before destroying Adel, because without her help you'd never win against Adel in the first place. Sorry, Rinoa.”

 

“It's okay,” said Rinoa, even as Irvine and Squall paled to hear Laguna so casually discussing her death.

 

“So Ellone tells me about how Ultimecia's chasing after her, and I got to thinking... Why? Why does Ultimecia want Elle?”

 

“And we believe it must have something to do with my talent,” said Ellone, touching her chest. “So, we wondered... Why not give Ultimecia what she wants?”

 

“What?” Irvine demanded. “No! Why?”

 

“Because that'll let us get at her,” said Laguna, his eyes glinting.

 

Squall looked at him sharply. Ellone felt a weird shiver go over her as she realized the similarity between Squall's and Laguna's intense looks.

 

“Explain,” said Squall in a low, tight voice.

 

“Ultimecia's reaching from the future into the past,” said Laguna. “This here's as far as she can go, which is why she needs Ellone. Ultimecia wants to go back even further. Ellone can grab onto her, take her back _almost_ that far, and then stop. So instead of completely smashing time together, you'll end up with a very small, very fast tight loop. Everything is gonna exist in that loop at the same time, which means Ultimecia herself will exist there. And if she's there and you kill her...”

 

“...then everything decompresses and goes back to normal,” finished Squall, his eyes widening.

 

“Did you follow all that?” Irvine asked Rinoa, who shrugged.

 

“Exactly,” said Laguna, nodding. “Now, where will we know that Ultimecia will be so we can make this plan work?”

 

“...Either Adel or Rinoa,” said Squall, looking at Rinoa with a fresh shiver of worry. “Which means...”

 

“We can't count on Adel helping us out,” said Rinoa slowly, shaking her head. “So... I'll let myself get possessed again.”

 

“Rinoa...”

 

“No, it's okay.”

 

“Yes, it'll be fine,” said Ellone, making Rinoa look at her. “When Ultimecia possesses you, I'll put you both in the past. But then I'll just bring you back, so you'll be yourself alone. And by then, the time loop should be in place, so she won't be able to put her consciousness in your head without leaving her physical body completely unguarded. Then, when you kill her, you'll prevent her from existing until she's physically born again, way off in the future.”

 

“Are... Are you sure?” Irvine asked, still confused but understanding that much of the conversation.

 

“Who here actually knows how time travel works?” Ellone asked, putting her hands on her hips.

 

“Exactly,” said Laguna, pointing at Ellone. “Therefore, we are going along with you on the Lunatic Pandora trip.”

 

“No,” said Squall flatly, but Laguna wagged his finger at him.

 

“You're gonna need Ellone there to make the switch,” said Laguna, making Squall grind his teeth. “And if you think she's going anywhere without me, you're crazy.”

 

“We're going into an active combat situation,” said Squall heatedly. “We can't do our jobs and protect you at the same time!”

 

“Oh, we can take care of ourselves,” said Laguna with an easy smile. “I haven't exactly sat on my butt in the last seventeen years.”

 

“And I'm a White SeeD too,” said Ellone, folding her arms.

 

Squall looked helplessly at Irvine and Rinoa, who shrugged and held up hands respectively.

 

“Fine,” said Squall, looking at Ellone and Laguna. “Let me look at your stats.”

 

They continued to smile at him. Squall cast Scan on both of them and stared; behind him, Rinoa and Irvine looked at Laguna and Ellone's strengths and were impressed.

 

“Wait, how is a shawl a weapon?” Irvine asked, looking at Ellone.

 

Ellone smiled. Letting the green shawl she always wore slide down her arms, she snapped it quickly and Irvine nearly jumped out of his skin as the fabric thudded against the wall hard enough to send vibrations through the floor.

 

“Practice,” she said sweetly.

 

“And you're still using a machine gun, correct?” Squall asked as he studied Laguna's strengths.

 

“Yep.”

 

“Hmph.”

 

“Not bad for a 44-year-old, right?”

 

“Not bad,” Squall grudgingly admitted. As he mentally projected his junctions onto Laguna, Squall realized the older man would be at least twice Squall's current strength with the right junctions. “How'd you get this...fit?”

 

“Esthar was a huge mess for about five solid years after Adel,” sighed Laguna. “Civil wars, anarchist states, wannabe warlords from the old regime... I was a very popular choice for the leadership of Esthar, but by no means the only one.”

 

Squall looked at Laguna with new respect. No wonder he hadn't recognized the overly emotional goofball from his 'dreams' in this older, cleverer version. Maybe he'd be alright in Lunatic Pandora after all.

 

“Ground rules,” said Squall, dismissing the Scan spells. “I'm the leader of the team, no exceptions. The priority is on saving lives, not ending them. That being said, we _will_ destroy Adel as fast as possible, so Ellone and Laguna, you're going to have to junction GF's.”

 

“Not a problem,” said Ellone with a smile.

 

“Gonna be weird to do it for myself,” said Laguna, smirking. “Bring it on.”

 

As Rinoa and Irvine selected GF's to give to Ellone, Squall looked to his oldest GF, the one he had perfect compatibility with. In the silence of his mind, Squall almost pictured standing in front of Shiva and meeting her cool, considering gaze.

 

“Can I trust you to help him?” Squall asked her.

 

“Only because he is dear to you,” said Shiva, touching Squall's face.

 

“He's not dear to me. I don't know him.”

 

“But you do,” said Shiva, smiling. “You know you do.”

 

“...whatever.”

 

Squall shook the cobwebs from his eyes as Laguna took his hand. White-blue light flowed from Squall's body into Laguna's, making the older man jump as Shiva curled around his mind.

 

“Weird,” said Laguna, shaking his head. “Did you give me a fire GF?”

 

“No,” said Squall, confused. “Why?”

 

“It feels warm. And happy.”

 

An hour later they were flying toward Lunatic Pandora. Both Ellone and Laguna had changed out their civilian clothing for silvery Estharian base armor wired with stealth technology, and the machine gun Laguna carried was definitely several grades above the previous one in terms of both power and aesthetics. Kiros and Ward were staying behind to hold down the fort.

 

“Alright,” said Squall as they assembled in the Ragnarok's conference room. “We have multiple objectives once we breach Lunatic Pandora.

 

“First and foremost, we have to locate Selphie, Zell, and Quistis. They are not only our teammates but are integral to the plan of destroying Adel as soon as possible. Destroying Adel is our second objective. However, if we encounter Adel before we find the others, then we will change directives to destroy Adel. Ellone, we have one hour until we reach Lunatic Pandora. Is that enough time to send someone into Zell, Selphie, or Quistis's head and get a rough location on them?”

 

“It's possible,” said Ellone with a small nod. “But at the most we'd have fifty minutes of what they were doing. Pick the time carefully.”

 

“That's fine,” said Squall with a nod. “Now send me.”

 

“You? Now?”

 

“Right now. We can't waste any time.”

 

Ellone nodded and clasped her hands together, closing her eyes. At the last second she glanced at Squall and said, “You should lie down.”

 

Squall complied. He'd forgotten about the whole 'losing physical consciousness' part in his focus.

 

“Whose head?” Ellone asked.

 

“Quistis's,” said Squall without hesitation. “She's always been the most observent. Take me back to when they got onto Lunatic Pandora.”

 

“You got it.” Ellone took a deep breath and exhaled. At once green light flared around Squall and he seemed to sag as total unconsciousness took him. While they waited for Squall to come back, Laguna looked at Rinoa.

 

“Sorry I have to be hard on you,” he said, making her blink at him. “You seem like a nice girl.”

 

“It's okay,” said Rinoa, trying not to feel awkward. “Thank you.”

 

“So what's your connection with, ah... Squall, there?” Putting a bit of levity in his voice, Laguna asked, “You two dating?”

 

“Uh... I don't know,” said Rinoa, laughing a little. “But we care about each other very deeply. And... In more than a friendly way, I think.”

 

“Definitely,” said Irvine, smiling slowly. “An' just think, nothing would have happened except for me.”

 

“What?” Rinoa looked at him archly.

 

“What yourself,” said Irvine, pointing over his back. “I still got every bruise and kick and scratch you gave me back at D-District Prison. I suffered a _lot_ for your love.”

 

Rinoa started laughing. “Of course you did!”

 

“What sort of person is he?” Laguna asked, gesturing at Squall. “Must be pretty engaging, to attract your attention.”

 

“Huh? Oh...” Rinoa smiled shyly. “He's... Just amazing. Smart, intense, really passionate even though he looks aloof. He's strong, not just physically, but... With everything that's happened to him, you know? He's an orphan. And he's been fighting pretty much since birth, but he still has it in him to trust in the best and... And love. Fearlessly, without question. I'm humbled by him.”

 

“No wonder you trust him,” said Laguna softly. “Sounds like you like him a lot.”

 

“I really, really do,” said Rinoa, sitting down and hugging her knees to her chest. “It's weird. The last time I felt like this, it was a thunderclap out of a bright blue sky. I was so shocked and overwhelmed that I thought WOW! This has to be love. I was just dazzled. And I thought that's how it always had to be.

 

“But with Squall... It was like watching the sun rise. There's no sight of anything for a long time but before you realize it's happening, the sky's getting lighter and lighter and you realize something amazing is about to happen, but you can't see the shape of it yet. You get excited, though, even over silly things like taking a breath because that means it's another moment closer to that thing you really want to see. And then suddenly it's there. Just... There. And you realize that the light were aware of, what warmed you and kept you company until now, was coming from the sun all along. And then you realize how important it's always been to you.”

 

Rinoa sighed, her eyes on Squall's face. No one said anything in the conference room for a long time as Irvine and Laguna mulled over her words.

 

“ _Selphie,”_ thought Irvine, his heart breaking with every new beat in his chest. Why had he gone with Squall to the space station? If he had just trusted someone else to do what needed to be done in the absolute worst case, he could be with her now. It wasn't fair that they were apart again after such a brief, sweet time together. 

 

“ _Raine...”_ thought Laguna with a deep sigh, closing his eyes. _“What do you think, Raine? She seems nice enough for our son, right? I know how she's feeling. I miss you, honey.”_

 

They turned as Squall groaned and slowly opened his eyes.

 

“Did you find them?” Rinoa asked.

 

“No, they got knocked out,” said Squall, rubbing his neck. “But Seifer's definitely alive and he took them. Sis, can we go again?”

 

“Where now?”

 

“Um... How long ago was that?”

 

“About a day ago.”

 

“Can we try six hours ago?”

 

“Of course. Quistis again?”

 

“Yeah.” Squall laid down and closed his eyes. Almost instantly Squall jerked and Ellone staggered, clutching her head.

 

“What's wrong?” Laguna demanded, going pale.

 

“I don't know,” said Ellone, rubbing her forehead. “That was weird. It was like... Like trying to get into an animal's head.”

 

“Let's try Zell,” said Squall, closing his eyes again. “But seven hours back.”

 

“Zell, seven hours back. Got it.”

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: I went through lots of nicknames for Irvine's Exeter before settling on 'Miranda'. I wish I could remember what my reasoning was.

 

More active roles for Ellone and Laguna, hopefully not detrimentally.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	29. Chapter 29

7 June 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

  
  


/\/\/\

 

“Stop,” Quistis gasped out, and instantly Zell leapt back, pain in his eyes.

 

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” He asked, wringing his hands. They were covered in blood and before him, Quistis dropped slowly to her hands and knees, bruised heavily and bleeding. He couldn't bring himself to break bones.

 

“It's the only one we have,” said Quistis, breathing heavily. “Just remember to heal me as soon as we get out.”

 

“Come on, just drink a potion or something,” Selphie begged, her eyes full of tears. She'd been hiding behind her hands the whole time Zell had reluctantly beaten Quistis to her most powerful crisis level.

 

“No,” said Quistis, shaking her head. “The closer I am, the more powerful it is. Point me at the wall.”

 

“Here,” said Selphie, sniffling and coming forward. Taking Quistis's shoulders, she winced when Quistis cried out in pain as Selphie turned her toward the near wall. Sitting behind the older girl, Selphie hugged her from behind and helped her sit up.

 

Zell paced as Quistis's blue eyes started to shine gold, edged with red and green sparks. He really, really hoped that the walls _between_ cells were much thinner than the walls between the cells and the hallway, and if this idea worked, he'd be able to kick down the door of the next cell over and get them all out fast. Unfortunately, all the junctioning in the world hadn't made him strong enough to simply punch a hole and climb through, so Quistis was trying her Blue Magic.

 

A piercingly green laser shot from Quistis's eyes and hit the wall with a soft, shrill whine. The metal around Quistis's concentrated glare turned red-hot.

 

“Damn,” Zell exclaimed.

 

“ _Wow,”_ Squall agreed reflexively. 

 

Zell twitched a bit and scratched his head. “You say something?” He asked Selphie, who shook her head.

 

“ _...wait a minute. Zell. Zell! It's Squall! Can you hear me?”_

 

Zell froze. “...huh?”

 

“ _Zell, it's Squall. I'm in your head through Ellone's power. We're seven hours in the future.”_

 

“Holy hell!” Zell exclaimed, grabbing his head. “This is crazy!”

 

“What?” Selphie demanded.

 

Zell grinned at Selphie, tapping his head. “Squall says hi.”

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“Squall. He's in my head right now. You know, like Ellone does for us for Laguna and the others? Well she's doing it now, so Squall's in my head, but actually seven hours in the future.”

 

“Whoa!” Selphie exclaimed, her eyes going round. “That's crazy!”

 

“ _Where are you?”_

 

“I don't know, man,” said Zell, going back to Squall. “It's somewhere in Lunatic Pandora. There's like, prison cells in here.”

 

“ _Prison cells?”_

 

“Yeah, man! Nothing but solid steel on all sides.” Zell spun around, looking for any sort of identifying marks. There was a very tiny window in the welded-shut door, which Zell immediately went to and looked through. “There's this purple stripe...”

 

“ _I see it.”_

 

“So we're going to see you in seven hours, then?”

 

“ _Hopefully. We need to meet up.”_

 

“There's a lobby in front of three elevators at the bottom of Lunatic Pandora,” said Zell, thinking of the area they'd seen before locating the control room. “We'll meet in front of elevator number one.”

 

“ _Affirmative. Oh, Zell.”_

 

“What?”

 

“ _Keep an eye on Quistis. Something's going to happen to her in the next hour that just... I don't know. It's not going to kill her, but she might not be herself.”_

 

“Huh?”

 

“ _I don't know! I wish I could tell you more.”_

 

“Nah, it's okay... Oh! Squall! Rinoa! Did Ellone fix Rinoa?”

 

“ _...it's complicated. We'll talk about it later. But Rinoa's fine for the time being and we'll see you soon. I'll stay around for as long as I can.”_

 

There was a THOP noise that made Selphie and Zell turn, and creeping like a worm, Quistis slowly pulled her laser eyebeam up the wall. Now heated, the metal gave way slightly easier and Selphie whooped as she saw a thin hole of a room beyond theirs appearing.

 

As steady as a machine, Quistis slowly drew a small hole against the bottom of the wall, barely breathing as what seemed like her entire concentration went into the laser beam. As careful as she was, she kept the cut line very smooth and straight for the first two-thirds. When the line began to wobble, Selphie made a noise of distress and looked at Quistis. The older girl's face was extremely pale, but otherwise unchanged. She did not seem to be in pain.

 

They waited with bated breath as Quistis struggled to complete the cut through the wall. Unconsciously everyone tilted to the left as the line veered right and leaned forward as Quistis dragged her focus straight down. When the laser finally thudded into the floor near Quistis's initial cut, the metal chunk of wall listed to one side.

 

“Yeah, baby!” Zell whooped, flinging himself into the air. In his head, Squall exhaled. At least everyone was fine right now.

 

Selphie heaved with relief and immediately cast Curaga after Curaga on Quistis. The older girl straightened, but stayed very still. Zell looked at Quistis, worried. He hadn't hit her in the head, so why wasn't she back to normal yet?

 

“Quistis?” He called cautiously.

 

A strange rumbling filled the air. Selphie jerked away from Quistis, going pale.

 

“She's _growling,_ ” Selphie whispered.

 

Quistis suddenly fell forward, but she caught herself on hands that seemed strange and misshapen inside her gloves. She pushed herself onto her toes and Selphie shrieked as a long, spotted tail sprouted from underneath Quistis's skirt, heavily tufted at the end with a brilliant plume of white. Zell yelped in horror as Quistis's face flattened, her ears traveling up the sides of her head and morphing into long, tipped points, and the blue of her irises suddenly swelled to cover her eyeballs.

 

“ _Oh my god!”_ Squall cried out, completely aghast.

 

Quistis gave herself a little shake and golden fur the color of her hair sprouted all over her bare skin, black spots appearing as her new fur seemed to shiver. Zell flattened himself against the wall, his heartrate skyrocketing, as Quistis hissed at him, exposing fangs as long as his thumb.

 

“Crap,” Zell whispered, sweating.

 

“Heeere, Quisty Quisty Quisty,” giggled Selphie nervously, her voice ending in a squeak as Quistis swung sinously around to look at her. Quistis padded over on all fours and Squall winced as he saw her leg bones shift shape to become more feline. It turned his stomach but at least didn't seem painful to Quistis.

 

“Don't move, don't breathe,” Zell hissed as Quistis came up to Selphie and sniffed her face deeply. Selphie flinched as Quistis touched her flattened nose to Selphie's cheek and then her mouth. He could hear the busy snuffling of breath as Quistis's pupils contracted to vertical slits.

 

Fortunately, Quistis seemed to lose interest. She paced off to a corner of the room and curled up, closing her eyes and tucking her long tail around her face. She lay very still and to all appearances, went to sleep.

 

“What just happened?” Selphie whispered, crawling over to Zell.

 

“No freaking clue,” Zell hissed back. “But I betcha it has to do with Blue Magic.”

 

“ _She consumes certain monster parts to gain their abilities...”_ thought Squall slowly. _“So... Perhaps in accessing their powers, she...turns into them? Sometimes?”_

 

When Zell repeated the theory aloud for Selphie, her eyes widened.

 

“It makes sense!” She hissed. “Everything has a downside! GF's eat your memories, para-magic makes you more like the element you have the most of... Why wouldn't there be a downside to using a whole lot of Blue Magic?”

 

“Is she gonna turn back?” Zell whispered, looking at Quistis fearfully. “What if she stays like this forever?”

 

“I'm... I'm sure she won't...” said Selphie lamely, her face crumpling. “But... OH!”

 

“SHHH!” Zell shushed furiously as Quistis's tail flicked. “Quietly!”

 

“Matron!” Selphie hissed. “Matron's still a sorceress! She might know something that could help!”

 

“Yeah!” Zell brightened. Then his face fell. “Now all we gotta do is... Get Quistis there. Oh boy.”

 

“How far are others?”

 

“Like seven... No, like six hours away.” Zell tapped his head. “Right, Squall? ...Squall? Crap, he's gone.”

 

“Oh great,” muttered Selphie. “Well... Better than nothing. Do you think we should work on the wall?”

 

“Maybe not until she turns back to normal.”

 

“Good plan.”

 

Except Quistis did not turn back to normal. She napped for about an hour before stretching abruptly, yawning hugely, and then investigating the room as a half-predatory-cat, half-woman. As the hours went by and she found Selphie and Zell to be no threat, she completely ignored them.

 

“Quistis, come on,” Selphie said as Quistis paced around the room. “Come back to normal. Please!”

 

“Remember how awesome it is to be human?” Zell asked her as Quistis sniffed the burned track from her laser eye. “Remember, uh... Crap, what does she like?”

 

“Reading,” said Selphie, making a wild guess. When Quistis's ears flicked, she said, “Yeah! Reading. Isn't reading great? You can, um... Find out new things. And... Oh, learn some really cool stories. I think the Legend of Hyne is a pretty great story... You wanna hear it?”

 

Quistis yawned again.

 

“Okay, maybe not that story.”

 

“Hey, Castle Kickass,” said Zell as Quistis pawed at the melted metal. “That was a great night. Really lots and lots of fun.” As Quistis growled irritably and paced away, Zell said, “Oh, you know you liked it. Remember how you threw Irvine onto his back? That was great.”

 

Quistis turned and faced the broken part of the wall. She settled down, sphinxlike, and Selphie and Zell saw something of the Torama in her regal upright posture. They tensed up as her eyes started to glow.

 

Then a beam of light like a cannon blasted out of her eyes and blew a new, larger hole in the wall.

 

“Shit!” Zell yelped as cat-Quistis stood up and leapt nimbly through the hole, never minding the molten metal dripping through the surface. No wonder the regular laser had taken such a long time; the wall was a foot thick. There was another blast of searing light and Selphie and Zell heard soft, rapid running in the hall.

 

“OH NO!” Selphie shrilled, scrambling after Quistis. Zell was not far behind, taking just enough time to grab Quistis's whip and hook it onto his belt before running outside.

 

The hall was empty when they came out, making Selphie clap her hands over her mouth with dismay and Zell punch the ground in frustration. The thundering boom of his fist on the floor made a hiss come from somewhere down to their right and instantly they sprinted, equal parts terrified of and for their friend. They did not want to think of what would happen to Quistis if she ran into any enemies. They encountered Gespers and other Estharian war machines as they ran through Lunatic Pandora, calling frantically for Quistis. As they retraced their steps through the prison area, desperately hoping that maybe she'd return to common territory, they ran into Fujin and Raijin.

 

“GAH!” Raijin yelped, nearly falling over.

 

“BLAH!” That was Zell, leaping back a solid five feet with shock. Automatically he brought up his fists, but Fujin and Raijin shook their heads.

 

“We're done, ya know?” Raijin said, putting his hands on his waist. Rocking back and forth on his heels, he said, “He's not... Well. We did our best. Listen, I know it's asking a lot, but could you...”

 

“What?”

 

“Catch him? Or...” Raijin looked at Fujin, who just looked away. The grim but sad look on her face said it all.

 

“...Are you sure?” Selphie asked softly as Raijin sighed and looked away too. “Because... Well... There's no turning back.”

 

“I don't know if he can,” said Raijin, shaking his head. “The way he tried to kill Quistis like that... How he was...”

 

“VINDICTIVE,” said Fujin, shaking her head. “EVIL. NOT HIM.”

 

Zell and Selphie exchanged looks. “We'll... We'll do what we can,” said Zell awkwardly. It was too weird and too wrong to talk about killing Seifer to his best friends. “Oh... And... As long as you're done...”

 

“Yeah?” Raijin asked, folding his arms.

 

“Can you keep an eye out for Quistis?” Zell asked, rubbing the back of his head. “She's... Run off.”

 

“She sort of turned into a leopard-cat-thing,” said Selphie. When Fujin and Raijin stared at her, she shrugged and said, “We think it's some sort of Blue Magic overdose. We don't know if it'll wear off or not...”

 

“Shit,” Raijin muttered.

 

“LOOK,” said Fujin, which made Raijin wince.

 

“I guess we don't have anything better to do,” he agreed. Looking at Zell, he said, “We'll help you find her. Is she dangerous?”

 

“Not really?” Selphie tilted her head, screwing up her face in thought. “I don't know. But she does fire huge laser cannons out of her eyes, so be careful about that.”

 

“Huge laser cannons,” Raijin repeated, staring.

 

“GREAT,” sighed Fujin.

 

With four people they could cover more area. Several hours after originally losing Quistis, they met up in the elevator lobby.

 

“Anything?” Zell asked as they reconvened.

 

“I think I saw a tail around Elevator 2,” said Raijin, shrugging helplessly.

 

“Better than us,” said Selphie with a heavy sigh. “We keep hearing growls, but the way the crystal is around here, there's no way to tell where it's coming from.”

 

Fujin stretched and rocked on her heels. As she glanced up, she froze and her one eye went wide. Zell happened to be looking right at her and noticed her change in demeanor instantly. Whirling around, he gaped in shock.

 

“How the hell did she get up there?” Zell demanded, pointing and making Selphie and Raijin turn. Selphie screamed and clapped her hands over her mouth as she saw Quistis lying along the top of one of the long access tunnels that led into Lunatic Pandora. She looked to be at least a hundred feet up.

 

“Holy Hyne,” Raijin blurted out, his eyes becoming huge. “That is _weird.”_

 

“Hey!” Selphie shouted, pointing at Quistis. Quistis's long ears flicked and she turned to look at Selphie, making everyone jump as they saw something white hanging from between her teeth. “HEY! What are you eating?! Drop it! Drop it right now!”

 

Raijin started snickering. Fujin kicked him, but her aim was off when she started giggling too. Meanwhile cat-Quistis gave Selphie a supremely disdainful look down the length of her feline nose and did _not_ let go of the thing she was eating.

 

“No, don't you run away,” Selphie yelled, half-admonishing and half-afraid as Quistis rose onto all fours and started walking along the slippery, rounded top of the access tunnel. “Come back here! Open your mouth! OPEN. YOUR. MOUTH.”

 

Now Raijin was full-out laughing and Fujin was giggling even harder, pressing her hand over her mouth. Zell's face started twitching a little.

 

Then everyone screamed as Quistis took a flying leap out into the air. Effortlessly she landed on top of another access tunnel, this one even higher and further away.

 

“Maybe you should stop shouting at her,” said Zell to Selphie. To Fujin and Raijin, he said, “That tunnel, where does it come from?”

 

“I think it's around Elevator Three.”

 

Fujin suddenly got a considering look on her face. She pointed at Quistis but looked at Selphie, saying, “CAT?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“She's asking, Quistis is like a cat, right?” Raijin translated.

 

“Well, yeah,” said Selphie with a light frown. “Pretty obviously.”

 

Fujin hooked her chakram on her belt and walked up to Selphie, her hands pressed together and slightly out in front of her chest. Selphie looked at her curiously.

 

“CLAPPING GAME,” said Fujin, making Raijin make a noise of understanding.

 

“What?” Zell asked, looking at up at him.

 

“Cats are curious, ya know?” said Raijin as Fujin walked through Selphie a complicated clapping sequence that involved hitting each other's hands in a very particular rhythm. “Look, she's already looking over here.”

 

“Ohhh... Smart!”

 

“Fujin's always been the brains,” said Raijin with pride.

 

“Oh yeah? What are you?”

 

“The brawn,” Raijin laughed. But then his face fell as he said, “And Seifer was...”

 

Selphie started to grin as she got the hang of the game and Fujin smiled back as they increased the speed. The clapping, smacking, clicking noises made Quistis's tail lash with interest and it was hard for Zell and Raijin not to cheer when she leapt back towards them, going from tunnel to tunnel until she was barely forty feet above the ground. Their hearts zoomed into their throats as Quistis studied the distance and then dropped, but she landed lightly and walked over with cautious, fluid steps. Her eyes seemed very bright.

 

“Ooooh, she's coming over!” Selphie squeaked.

 

“CONTINUE,” said Fujin. “RAIJIN.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“SUBDUE.”

 

Raijin very slowly and very carefully drew back his staff at a diagonal. Quistis's current path would take her right by him and if he struck fast enough, he could definitely bop her in the head.

 

“Don't kill her,” Zell hissed as Quistis padded forward. The white cloth was still in her mouth, looking like a tattered shred off a larger garment.

 

“I'll try not to,” said Raijin, his skin crawling as he saw the leonine alterations to her face and body. She had somehow gained more mass too, resembling a leopard more and more with each passing moment. “Holy Hyne...”

 

“I really hope Matron can fix you,” Selphie said to Quistis, biting her lip.

 

A crashing boom shook the air of Lunatic Pandora, making achingly deep vibrations rumble through the ground and rattle their bones. Quistis dropped to the floor and hissed, her long ears flattening against her head and her tail puffing up to three times its normal size.

 

“Oh, Quisty Quisty Quisty, it's okay,” Selphie cooed, slowly getting onto her knees. She held her hand out for Quistis to sniff, saying, “We're friends. Come here, okay? Heeere, Quisty Quisty Quisty. Nice Quisty...”

 

Quistis slowly straightened, her ears turning to the front. She took two cautious steps forward, scenting the air. Raijin brought his staff up a fraction of an inch and abruptly Quistis whirled on him, snarling with one paw/hand slightly off the ground. Raijin froze at the pure fury in her eyes. As he held his breath, not even daring to blink, Quistis slowly put her hand back on the ground and glared at him, her tail lashing.

 

“Quiiiisty,” Selphie sang softly. “Quisty, come here. Come here, pretty Quisty...”

 

Instead, a deep and unhappy rumble vibrated out from Quistis's chest the longer she looked at Raijin. Stealthily Zell reached into his pocket, searching for anything that might draw Quistis's eye. When his fingers closed around a single gil coin, he hoped it would be enough. He flicked it off to the side with his thumb and his heart leapt a little as Quistis whipped around to look at it, her movement so sudden and controlled that the fabric in her mouth snapped like a flag. When the penny hit the ground, Quistis rose slightly up on her hind legs to see where it was going.

 

Then a rich belling tone filled the air, followed almost instantly by a hideous screech of metal. Everyone winced, but Quistis's reaction was very dramatic; hissing again, she whipped around and ran back the way she'd come, dodging Zell as he made a desperate lunge for her and all but running up the wall to reach the first access tunnel. They stared in shock and awe as she rapidly bounced up the tunnels and out of sight more than a hundred feet up.

 

“Shit,” Zell groaned, punching the ground. “Now what?”

 

Selphie suddenly touched her head, her eyes troubled at first. Then she smiled brilliantly, looking at Zell.

 

“Hey Zell,” she said with a little grin. “Guess what?”

 

“What?”

 

“The future is now.”

 

Fujin and Raijin stared at her in confusion, but Zell's look of incomprehension abruptly snapped into a look of glee.

 

“They're here?” He asked excitedly.

 

“I'm talking to Squall right now,” she said, tapping her head. “He's asking what happened to Quistis. She went up that way,” said Selphie, pointing above her head. “I think the noise scared her.”

 

“What was that white thing in her mouth?” Zell wondered aloud, folding his arms and tilting his head.

 

“It's part of Seifer's coat,” said Raijin, making Selphie and Zell look at him in surprise. “Fuj was trying to patch it, but it's kind of all ripped to shreds.”

 

“ _I wonder...”_ mused Squall. To him, the time between being in Selphie's head and Zell's head had been maybe about five minutes to convey information to the team, and at this very moment they were inside Lunatic Pandora; Irvine was carrying him fireman-style as Laguna took point. 

 

“ _Quistis and Seifer are... Fond of each other,”_ Squall said, wincing how awkward he sounded even as a thought. _“In this weird catlike state she's in, she might be...”_

 

“EW!” Selphie squealed, turning scarlet.

 

“What?” Zell demanded.

 

“Squall just said Quistis is acting like a cat in heat!” She wailed, making everyone around her yelp and Squall instantly start shouting, _“No I didn't!”_

 

“I hope they're not in trouble,” said Rinoa, looking at Squall's face worriedly as he frowned and twitched in his trance.

 

“I'm not sensing anything like that,” said Ellone, her cheeks faintly pink. Rinoa eyed her semi-suspiciously but said anothing.

 

“Well... We were planning to find Seifer anyway,” said Zell, folding his arms. “So, uh... Maybe she's saving us some time. He's definitely somewhere upstairs.”

 

Raijin looked at Fujin, who cracked her knuckles and looked skyward.

 

“WAIT HERE,” she said, placing her palms squarely toward the ground.

 

Raijin braced reflexively, but Zell and Selphie yelped and stumbled back as Fujin blasted twin Aeros out of her hands, popping herself into the air. With precision and speed, Fujin jetted her way up through the tunnels with loud pops that sounded like miniature sonic booms. Everyone was so focused on watching her fly around that they almost missed everyone else coming in.

 

“Guys!” Rinoa exclaimed joyfully, making Selphie and Zell turn.

 

“Rinoa!” Selphie flew at her, tackling her like a runaway train again. “Oh man, it's _so good_ to see you! What was wrong?”

 

“I was possessed,” said Rinoa matter-of-factly. “But I'm better now!”

 

Selphie stared at her. “Hoo...ray...?”

 

“What am I, chopped liver?” Irvine said half-jokingly, making Selphie turn to him with a big grin.

 

“You dope, _you_ weren't the one in a coma,” she said. She got a considering look on her face and then skipped up to him, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him lightly on the lips. Irvine blinked at her and then smiled slowly, his grin broadening as a pink flush spread across Selphie's cheeks.

 

“Sis!” Zell yelped, seeing Ellone. “What are you doing here?”

 

“You'll need me to get rid of Ultimecia for good,” said Ellone, folding her arms under her chest. On Irvine's back, Squall twitched and then came back to consciousness. He slid off Irvine's back and glared at Selphie.

 

“I did _not_ say she was acting like a cat in heat,” he told her stiffly. “I just thought that she might...”

 

“It's okay, we got it,” said Raijin, making Squall look at him sharply.

 

“We're buddies now,” said Zell, making Squall look at _him_ strangely.

 

Selphie was now looking at Laguna with huge green eyes, a flush coming to her cheeks. Laguna looked back at her in amusement. It wasn't hard to see why she was stunned; Laguna had aged very well.

 

“Can I help you?” He asked, making her squeak.

 

“You're _real,_ ” she breathed, eyes shining. Laguna threw back his head and laughed.

 

“ELEVATOR ONE,” said Fujin, dropping down abruptly from below. There was just enough of a flat disk of air under her feet that it looked like she slammed straight into the ground, while actually she floated a half-inch above it before settling. It was very impressive and bespoke a degree of control that none of the SeeDs could imagine. “SOMEWHERE.”

 

“Right, that's us,” said Irvine, tipping his hat at Fujin and Raijin. “Look... If you don't wanna hang around, you should probably get onto the Ragnarok. It's not going to be pretty.”

 

Fujin took a deep breath. Raijin looked at her, his gaze serious and level, as she swallowed and spoke to someone other than him and Seifer in her real voice.

 

“It hasn't been pretty for a while,” said Fujin, the tortured sound of her voice making everyone flinch a little. “At least if we're there, he won't be alone at the end. It's his worst fear.”

 

“Seifer is not our priority right now,” said Squall, making everyone look at him. “Right now... Right now, we have to find and destroy Adel.”

 

“Squall!” Zell exclaimed, his eyes huge. “What about Quistis?”

 

“Believe me, I want to find her and help her too,” said Squall, his mouth thinning into an unhappy line. “But if Ultimecia possesses Adel, we're all going to die. If we kill Adel first, then there's no rush when it comes to finding Quistis.”

 

“It makes sense,” said Laguna, nodding.

 

“Now on the other hand, Seifer worked with Ultimecia to cause the Lunar Cry and bring down Adel's Tomb,” said Squall, looking up. “So we can reasonably expect he'll be somewhere around Adel herself... And if I've got it figured right, Quistis might be around too. We'll have to go up anyway. Sis, Laguna, Fujin, Raijin; you're Team Two. We'll take the elevator up and wait for you. After that, let us proceed first. If we fall...”

 

“We know the drill,” said Laguna, cocking his machine gun. His eyes were cool and hard, the battle-fired gaze of a true leader. Squall felt a weird shiver of admiration go through him.

 

“Let's go,” said Squall, heading toward Elevator One. “Fate willing, this is going to be the last battle.”

 

“ _One way or another,”_ thought Rinoa with a shiver. _“Please... Let this all turn out well.”_

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: I didn't realize how funny this section was until I pieced it out and reread it. What's your favorite part?

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	30. Chapter 30

 

 

“No wonder you turned evil,” said Seifer to Adel, who was still contained in the unit and deeply unconscious. As he let Ultimecia's knowledge guide his hands into the final unlocking of the Tomb, he said, “Face like that. Ugh. And I don't know much about clothes, but even I can tell you're dressed like a nightmare of a nightmare. People obeyed you just to get away from the sight of your clothing.”

 

Rapid pattering behind him made Seifer whip around. But there was nothing in the open hallway behind him. Seifer looked around suspiciously for a long second before he heard soft clicking somewhere in the shadows down the end of the hall. Silently he drew Hyperion and crept forward, the excitement of the hunt starting to beat in his veins.

 

_patpatpatpatpat_ patpatPATPATPAT

 

He caught a glimpse of something golden out of the corner of his eye and whirled, hurling a fireball into the darkness. Something feline with a long tail darted into the shadows, making Seifer mutter in annoyance. Of  _course_ he'd encounter a new monster type without Fujin or Raijin. 

 

“ _I should probably let them out soon,”_ he thought as he stalked around the edges of the room, his blade drawn. _“I have no idea if they've learned their lesson or not, but they're just confused right now. They'll come around eventually.”_

 

Soft growling made Seifer look around.

 

“ _Alright, whatever it is, it's fast, it's not friendly, and it doesn't like the light,”_ thought Seifer, gathering a Firaga-ball in his hand. He threw it against the ceiling and forced the fire to spread up and out over the polished metal surface, casting the whole room into light. Instantly he heard a hiss and turned to look over his shoulder. 

 

“There you are, you little...?”

 

Quistis hissed at him, long black ears flattening against her head as her tail lashed angrily. Seifer stared at her in total and utter shock. He hadn't even had time to raise his blade.

 

“ _What the hell happened to you?”_ He thought dumbly, staring at the peculiar creature she had become. It was like she had fused with a Torama or something. But it was still undeniably Quistis, even without the visual cue of her clothing to warn him. Seifer knew that haughty, calculating blue glare. He knew that strength and grace. Even her tail lashed as sinuously and threateningly as her damn whip.

 

“Quistis?” He called softly. She only hissed again. Seifer noticed she had grown very long, sharp-looking teeth and he had no doubt that she would use them if she thought she had need to. He couldn't stop staring at her, though a soft groan of dismay slipped past his lips. How was he supposed to keep her contained now? How was Ultimecia supposed to talk to her now?

 

“ _What if she never turns back?”_

 

Cautiously Seifer sheathed Hyperion and held his hand out. “Come here,” he said, kneeling and keeping his voice calm. Quistis growled, but her ears came up slightly and she started to pace back and forth along the edge of the room, never taking her eyes off him. Seifer could feel horror literally creeping over him as he saw the painful-looking backward bend of her legs and the tawny fur all over her body. “Oh, Quistis. What happened to you?”

 

Her only answer was a soft, deadly snarl.

 

“Come here,” said Seifer, gesturing with his outstretched hand. “Come here. I won't hurt you. Well... Not if you don't make me. Come here, girl.”

 

The snarl continued at the same level and he saw her blue eyes glint with something more than firelight.

 

“ _She really is a cat,”_ thought Seifer with amusement, his mind straying back to the time they'd kissed in the elevator and she'd smacked his hands away. She really liked being in control. Seifer couldn't imagine how embarrassing this state probably was for her, but there was no way to tell if she was even conscious inside the leopard-like skin. 

 

Thinking about other, smaller cats he'd encountered, Seifer made a soft clicking noise and waited patiently. Gradually Quistis's ears came up and though she kept pacing, she edged slightly closer to him. Seifer saw the glint of his necklace around her neck, shining like a collar against her furred throat. Seifer sighed heavily.

 

“Betrothal jewelry, huh?” He said to no one in particular. “Estharian betrothal jewelry...

 

“I never thought about getting married, you know. I couldn't imagine being tied down like that, but now that I think about it, maybe I didn't think someone would _want_ to marry someone like me. I've got no name, no family. Nothing to offer except smartassery and a sword arm. I'd always figured I'd die in the field with five girlfriends and a couple of mistresses tearing their hair out over my grave, and then getting into a knock-down drag-out at my funeral. Yeah, yeah...” Seifer sighed as Quistis growled softly. “Believe me, it was hilarious to think about when I was fourteen.”

 

Now Quistis was approaching him cautiously, her pupils dilated. He saw a fine dusting of golden hairs flake off her with every movement. Hope lifted in his chest. Maybe there was a way out of this. Encouraged, Seifer kept talking about anything that came to mind.

 

“Do you remember we used to have classes together? Not a lot since you were so smart and all, but we had conditioning first thing in the morning together. It was like six years ago. It was so early, but I swear you'd always get there at least an hour before everyone else because you'd already be stretched out and sometimes kinda sweaty by the time it was time for class to start. I thought you were crazy, but that's when I started thinking you were beautiful.

 

“I've always thought you were beautiful, you know. But I didn't ever think anything would ever happen since you were just so far ahead of everybody, so I brushed it off. I concentrated on your bookishness, your competence, your skills... And when you became my Instructor, I concentrated on how much you pissed me off. And it made me even madder because you _are_ beautiful and perfect and I... I never liked it when you looked at me like I was something lesser. Except you didn't think I was your lesser, you just knew I was less than what I could be. And it pissed me off when you made me realize that.

 

“I wonder how things would be if I'd never looked up during that damn test and saw you sucking your pencil that way. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be trying to talk you down like this,” said Seifer, his mouth quirking at the edges. “Hell, I'd probably just try to take your head off. I should try it now... Make it fair, you know. You shoot me, I stab you.”

 

Still Quistis approached, her blue eyes seeming to soften with recognition. Seifer sighed heavily. Experimentally he patted his knee and wasn't entirely surprised when Quistis's ears perked up and she padded toward him. As he looked into her face, he saw the shocking pale blue of her huge irises slowly shrink until they were just very large in her otherwise human eyes. She came right up to him and Seifer twitched as she brushed her cheek against his, making golden hair fall onto his coat.

 

“Why do you have to be so cute?” Seifer grumbled, nevertheless reaching out to touch Quistis. She was so warm and soft, and even her strange fur felt more rabbit-like than catlike. As he drew his hand over her shoulder, the fur fell painlessly off. The nectarine scent of her shampoo mixed with a milkier catlike odor to set a heat thrumming in his blood. Seifer felt her exhale deeply as she brushed her cheek against his again, this time in a distinctly sensual manner.

 

“Uh-uh,” he said, looking at her. “Not that again. I've had enough of being knocked out.”

 

Quistis suddenly leaned against him and Seifer caught himself as she nearly pushed him to the floor. She put her hands on his shoulders and looked into his face, and he laughed when he heard a purr rumbling from inside her chest. She looked a great deal more human now, but the changes seemed entirely cosmetic.

 

“Stop that,” said Seifer as she nuzzled against his chest. His heart was speeding up again, which seemed very inappropriate considering that Quistis still had a damn tail. She curled against him and nuzzled his chest again, her lips brushing the narrow triangle of skin over his breastbone. Seifer's breath hitched at the soft, pillowy touch of her mouth, especially when she put her hand in his lap and started kneading. “Stop. Stop it. Nngh...”

 

The purr only intensified. Hating himself for what he had to do, Seifer pushed Quistis's hand out of his lap and rolled away, getting onto his feet. Quistis sat where she was on the floor, still looking pleasantly out of it as the tip of her long fluffy tail twitched.

 

“You stay there,” he said, pointing at her with one hand as he stealthily drew Hyperion with the other. One quick whack on the head. That would be it. She looked mostly human now and she was obviously up to her old tricks, which meant she was aware enough to be an enemy. Seifer hated that he had to attack her again, but until she started seeing sense there was nothing else to do. At least he was only going to knock her out when she wasn't in her right mind.

 

“Stay riiight there,” Seifer said softly, gripping the hilt of his gunblade more tightly. Quistis cocked her head. Then with something like a chirp, she began to move toward him on all fours. The technical word was 'crawl' but there was nothing base or submissive in how she moved. Instead Seifer found his breath coming light and fast as she approached, easing her way into his boundaries without the slightest trace of fear. When Quistis reached him, she sat at his feet and looked up at him, making him groan with frustrated desire. At any other time, this would be the start to something good.

 

“ _I'll make it quick,”_ Seifer thought, eyeing her temple. From this angle, he could crack her across one of the skull sutures and knock her out before she got any more tempting and distracting. Seifer started to think about moving, but the impetus to act puffed away like smoke in the wind as Quistis put her hands on his knees and slid her palms upwards, never breaking eye contact the entire time. 

 

“Are you in heat?” He asked her, not expecting any sort of answer. “Or am I catnip?”

 

Instead Quistis nuzzled against the front of his pants and Seifer swore as he felt her rumbling purr go through his cock. The shock of sensation after weeks of doing nothing hit him harder than any drug.

 

“I am _not_ falling for this again,” he told her severely, his knees nevertheless turning watery as she ran her lips over the length of him. “Get up so I can face you properly.”

 

Quistis's only response was to lip at him through his clothes.

 

“Not a chance!” Seifer took a moment to hook Hyperion back onto his belt before he grabbed Quistis by the shoulders and pulled her up, holding her out at arm's length. She stood easily, making him glance down and see that her legs had gone back to normal. But the cat ears and tail still remained, as well as the purr he felt vibrating through his palms and up his arms. “You might still have fangs or something.”

 

Quistis tried to nuzzle against his hand, which made Seifer pull his hand away, and her gentle insistence on his touch ended when Seifer pinned Quistis from behind, wrapping his arms around her upper body as she purred and moved sensuously against him.

 

“Get back to fucking normal already,” he growled, which made the purring intensify. “This shit is too weird. HEY! Get your hand out of there!”

 

Seifer let go of Quistis and spun her around so her forearms were up against her chest, and this time when he gripped her, no amount of wriggling allowed her to get free. On the other hand, Seifer saw her face turn slowly back to normal, the black-tipped ears shedding and sliding down to their proper place.

 

“Let go,” she said, but the husky note in her voice made a shiver go over him.

 

“I don't know if I should,” he taunted. “I think you'll just attack me again.”

 

“Your defense isn't exactly ironclad,” she returned, taking a step forward and rolling her hip over his shaft.

 

“And your motives aren't pure,” Seifer retorted, ignoring the rush of pleasure. “What else is new?”

 

“Nothing important,” she said, her lashes lowering seductively. “But the important things stay the same.”

 

“You would not be trying this pillow talk bullshit on me if you were armed,” he told her, though he wasn't in a hurry to fight right now. Seifer saw her eyes flash a bit at that.

 

“If I were armed, we would be fighting,” she said, her voice still low but more normal. “But I've never wanted to fight you.”

 

“Really? I must have hallucinated the scars all up my left arm and leg and _the hole in my heart.”_

 

“Just because I don't want to doesn't mean I won't,” she retorted, a bit of a snap in her voice. “Especially since you had no compunction when it comes to killing us.”

 

“Hey, I begged you not to fight me either,” he said, tightening his grip. “In a perfect world, you'd be right with me.”

 

“As we torched the world for a woman we've never seen?” She demanded, now not a trace of the coquette in her demeanor.

 

“Everybody's so hung up on that,” Seifer muttered. “No one understands about Ultimecia.”

 

“Then tell me,” said Quistis, making him glance at her. “Look... My friends are here. And they'll find us sooner or later. This is your only chance to tell me the truth before they jump to conclusions and...”

 

Seifer said nothing for a long time. Quistis kept her gaze steady and on his eyes, which were still the sea-green she associated with her best memories with a very small, fine ring of glowing gold around his pupil. He was definitely not the same man he'd been, but even after all this time she still didn't know why.

 

“I feel right with her,” Seifer said slowly. “When she tells me what I can do for her, I know that she really appreciates it. And me. And yeah, she gets mad and disappointed from time to time, but she never gives up on me. She doesn't leave me alone.”

 

“You really felt that lonely?” Quistis asked, her voice very soft and gentle.

 

“Always. On some level, always.”

 

“Even now?” She seemed wounded. _“With me?”_ Her blue eyes seemed to ask.

 

“ _Especially now,”_ Seifer thought with a small sigh. _“Everyone... You... You're all so far away. Nobody walks with me anymore except for her.”_

 

When he didn't say anything, Quistis closed her eyes and laid her head against his chest, making Seifer's breath hitch. The back of her neck was terribly exposed and she surely knew that he could kill her with a blow. But she didn't care. Or... She was trusting that he wouldn't hurt her. That made his stomach churn a bit.

 

It was a slow and subtle thing, the way the heat in her blood gently urged Quistis into leaning just a little closer, rising onto the balls of her feet to brush her lips along the angle of Seifer's jaw. She felt rather than heard him sigh. Carefully she tried to ease her pinned arms out from between their bodies and instantly Seifer's grip tightened.

 

“No,” he told her severely, his eyes narrowing. “I don't trust you.”

 

It hurt more than it should, though Quistis knew exactly why he'd said it. “I just want to kiss you.”

 

“The last time you _just_ wanted to kiss me, I ended up with a concussion and a really bad lie about what happened,” he retorted, his eyes darkening.

 

“But it was fun before then, wasn't it?” Quistis asked, deliberately keeping her voice light.

 

Seifer sighed. “You know it was.”

 

He looked at her for a moment, his expression unreadable, before he leaned down and kissed her chastely on the lips. It felt almost brotherly. Nevertheless Quistis became aware of how thin he had become, how dry his skin was now. The scent of his breath reminded her of a bitter scent that was like burning leaves in autumn. Unconsciously she glanced down and pulled at the point of his shirt, easing the fabric aside until she found the round scar she was looking for. She traced her finger around the smooth, perfectly circular patch of paler skin, which bore tiny little rays like a sun.

 

“Did this hurt?” She asked, looking up at him.

 

“Not really,” he said. “I was just shocked. I thought Squall would be the one to take my head off. I was prepared for that.”

 

“I don't think he would have forgiven himself,” said Quistis, lowering her gaze to the scar again. “You weren't right. It would have haunted him.”

 

“And it wouldn't have haunted you?”

 

“Of course it would have. I just would have hidden it better.” Quistis brushed her hand over the scar again. “I'm so glad you're alive.”

 

“Are you sure you mean that?” He asked dryly.

 

“Yes. I am.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because I meant what I said,” she told him. “I still love you. The you that you used to be.”

 

Seifer smirked humorlessly. “You don't love me now?”

 

“Do you love yourself now?” She asked him, making him jerk back slightly. “Do you even know yourself now?”

 

Seifer glared down at her, his gaze seeming to flicker between anger and despair. Quistis returned his look very evenly for what seemed like forever.

 

Then with absolutely no warning, Seifer leaned down and kissed her passionately on the mouth. The hot dry bitter scent around him bloomed to something like burning ambergris and resin, flooding her senses with heat so intense that she wanted to faint. She smelled body-warmed leather too, gunpowder, steel dust, and the synthetic oil used to condition gunblades, now baked to an acrid stickiness that slightly burned the nose. As he kissed her like he could make love to her with lips alone, Quistis tried to respond but his grip on her tightened until she couldn't breathe and she could only remain still as he tasted her lips and the subtle lines of her tongue. The desperation that had tinged his eyes and laugh from before seemed to creep in even here, making her heart ache toward him even as she felt his fingertips dig restlessly into her back and shoulders. Despite everything, her blood beat harder in her veins and Quistis clutched Seifer's shirt, wanting to pull him down onto the floor. One last time. A _real_ last time.

 

Then abruptly Seifer let go of her and drew his sword, his eyes turning wine-dark as he narrowed them with purpose. Quistis stumbled back with an unconscious shiver, already missing his heat.

 

“Quistis!”

 

“I hate people,” she told Seifer in a whisper as her friends ran down the hall, fear making their steps rumble like thunder. Seifer only raised his gunblade at her head.

 

“I won't shoot you while you're unarmed,” he told her. His voice was rough and heated, his eyes still the brightest bue-green they'd been since this whole thing started; he wasn't completely gone yet. “Just... Don't fight me.”

 

“I can't.”

 

“...Then this is goodbye,” said Seifer, his face tightening.

 

Quistis closed her eyes. “Goodbye.”

 

“Step away from the sorceress!” shrieked Selphie, hurling a Bio spell at Seifer. He dodged and sprang back to put himself between the group and Adel. As soon as he stood up, the cruel mask of the mad knight was back in place.

 

“I kinda can't,” he said, shrugging with a reckless little smile. “It's part of the job description.”

 

“You dropped this,” said Zell at Quistis's side, pressing her whip handle into her hand. She took it reluctantly and snapped it once, drawing Seifer's focus. But it was only for a second. He looked back at the group and laughed softly.

 

“Six on one,” he said, his eyes scanning the group. “Hardly seems fair... For you.”

 

Seifer stomped on the ground, sending the roaring wave of fire that had knocked out Selphie and Zell right at Squall. Squall ran into the fire, his junctions letting the flames feed him, and Seifer had only a third of a second to look surprised before Squall swung a brilliantly blue blade at his head, his strike seeming to move faster than humanly possible. Yet Seifer dodged and even managed to parry, wreathing Hyperion in protective flames. Tatters of white flame seemed to dance over his body, going out from his shoulders like wings.

 

Abruptly Quistis found herself in a shadowed version of Lunatic Pandora, thunder rumbling ominously above her head as rain spattered the ground. Looking around, she saw the dark semitranslucent shades of her friends standing around, all of them stunned.

 

“ _No... Not this GF,”_ thought Quistis, dread rising in her throat as she heard the rhythmic clopping of eight shod hooves. Looking around, she saw the inhumanly tall and strong Guardian Force they'd picked up while searching for the White SeeD Ship in Centra, and in this darkened world he was the only thing with substance and color. Except for Seifer, who stood at the outer limits of the GF's influence and stared him, head cocked like he was looking at something only a little interesting. 

 

Odin surged his eight-legged mount forward, bounding for Seifer with curved blade held high. Quistis clapped her hands over her mouth in horror as around her, her friends gasped or turned away. Odin's Zantetsuken either missed or killed instantly, slicing all enemies regardless of size or toughness into three pieces. Quistis could almost see the blade coming down on Seifer, cutting him to pieces that could never be put together, turning him into something that would never be fixed. She didn't want to look. She didn't want to see that. She didn't want a nightmare to become real when she couldn't do anything to stop it, but hiding her eyes wouldn't change anything either...

 

Seifer raised Hyperion, his eyes gleaming. The white tatters Quistis had noticed before were stronger now and something seemed to flicker around Seifer's head too, a suggestion of crowns and horns. The flames boiling around Hyperion turned pale yellow and then white instead of scarlet, and as Odin slashed down, Seifer surged directly at him. They were the only beings that had substance in this space, but Quistis still didn't believe her eyes when Seifer leapt into the air, gunblade held over his head, and slashed down hard. She heard a thudding noise as Hyperion impacted Odin's head.

 

And then like a hundred thousand windows shattering all at once, Odin split completely in two. Each half was edged with flickers of white flame that seemed to boil out of Seifer's head and back and even a little out of his eyes.

 

Abruptly the world came back as Odin dissolved into sparks of light and Seifer landed, a strange and inhuman grin on his face. He looked totally the part of the mad knight and straightened, terrifyingly magnificent in his tattered coat with his eyes burning with power and delusion.

 

“I ain't going down that easy,” he said to the dumbfounded party. “Is that really all you've got?”

 

Immediately Selphie and Zell hurled spells at Seifer and Irvine fired over and over again, obscuring his vision with bullets like smoke grenades. Seifer laughed and then snarled in frustration as Squall unerringly sought him out through the smoke, moving like one possessed. Moving helped. Moving made Squall delay processing that Seifer had just _killed a GF,_ one of the strongest they'd ever encountered, and would have no problem killing them too. The harder Squall fought, the more Seifer had to concentrate, and out of the corners of his eyes, the brunet noticed the white flickers around Seifer's head and back fading to nothing as Seifer focused on the here and now.

 

Quistis tried to make herself move. Her friends were in trouble against a foe that was straight out of legend, but a small part of her told her that she'd already killed Seifer once and didn't owe anybody anything. Peripherally she became aware of Rinoa standing by and not doing anything either. Or so she thought until she saw the dark-haired girl swaying slightly on her feet, her eyes seeming to shine with a strange blue-white light.

 

“ _What is that?”_ Quistis wondered with a sense of creeping horror. 

 

“Get out of my FACE!” Seifer roared, a corona like the sun exploding off his skin. But at once there was a thunderous dust explosion that sent him and Squall flying apart, though Squall was cushioned by a Curaga that let him flip and land on his feet and Seifer slammed into Adel's containment unit hard enough to make the Tomb shake. Rinoa flinched like she'd been struck.

 

“Rinoa!” Quistis cried out, making everyone glance around. Rinoa shook herself, the blue-white light leaving.

 

“Right,” she said, looking at Adel and going pale. “I'm here. Let's do this.”

 

Seifer slid off the Tomb and landed heavily on the floor. “You think you can kill Adel?” He asked the group. “She took over a country and held it for a reason, you know.”

 

“What makes you think she won't kill you as soon as she gets out?” Squall asked him, pointing at the Tomb with the tip of his gunblade.

 

“And Ultimecia's not going to like you moonlighting,” drawled Irvine.

 

“This is all in her plan,” said Seifer. He stomped hard and slashed at the same time, creating a burning cross of fire that roared at the group. Quistis's paralysis snapped off in the face of immediate danger and she ducked, avoiding the burning wave.

 

“Did she ever tell you about Time Compression?” Rinoa called, her voice rising above the sound of air being swallowed by flame. Quistis stared as the fire did not touch her, breaking around a pale blue shield of perfect light that seemed to shimmer like feathers.

 

“Time Compression?” Seifer glanced at her.

 

“Ultimecia wants to get Ellone so she can go back into the past,” said Rinoa, her voice clear and still. “If she goes far enough back, to the beginning of all things, she'll drag existence in behind her. And everything around us, everything we know or that we ever were or ever will be, will be lost. Crushed into a single moment. That's what you're working for.”

 

“I blew up my home, declared war on a country, and literally unleashed hell on earth,” said Seifer, sounding almost proud. “Bring on the apocalypse.”

 

“Sorry, the apocalypse has been canceled,” said a bright male voice that made Quistis jump with shock. When she whipped around, she saw Laguna and Ellone shimmer into existence by the control panel to Adel's Tomb, their silvery stealth suits shining like polished armor. Seifer stared at them and then at what Laguna was touching on the panel.

 

“Why yes,” said Laguna, sounding like an affable uncle as Seifer looked at him in shock. “That _is_ the self-destruct sequence on Adel's Tomb. We have no idea how powerful it actually is, but we do know that no mattter how hard she tries to break out, it will eat her power and throw it back at her _on top_ of the massive explosion that will be happening outside the machine. Speaking of which, we should run. I set the timer for ten minutes.”

 

“...not you...” Seifer gasped, going paler the longer he stared at Laguna. The fires around him guttered like they were in a strong wind and then went out.

 

“Huh?” Laguna blinked at him. Seifer started to hyperventilate.

 

“Why...” Seifer gasped, shaking visibly. He pointed at Laguna with his free hand, crying out in a voice that seemed terribly young and confused. “Why are _you..._ You, of all people! Why are _you_ in my way?!”

 

“Do I know you?” Laguna asked, making Seifer stagger. The mad knight was visibly trembling, looking more unstable than anyone had ever seen.

 

“You understand, don't you?” Seifer asked Laguna in a plaintive voice. The older man looked totally bewildered. “Why... Why I'm doing everything? Why I'm doing all this? Why...” His voice cracked. “Why are you in my way?”

 

“Because you're not on the right side,” said Laguna, gathering himself. He spoke gently but firmly, making Seifer moan in a low, miserable voice. “Son... This isn't the right thing.”

 

“But I... But she needs me,” Seifer whispered, sounding totally lost. Quistis pressed her hands to her mouth, heart cracking, unaware that Rinoa was looked and felt the same. Squall looked away, gritting his teeth. “She needs me...”

 

Then to everyone's immense shock, tears spilled out of Seifer's eyes and started pouring down his face. Zell looked particularly horrified, all but rearing away as Seifer hovered on the edge of breaking down. Squall looked intensely embarrassed.

 

“How does he know Sir Laguna?” Selphie asked Ellone, utterly mystified. Ellone shook her head, all but throwing up her hands. “Has he been doing 'dream world' time too?”

 

“No. I don't even know who that is,” said Ellone, making everyone stare.

 

“That's Seifer!” Zell yelled, making Ellone gasp aloud and clap her hands to her face.

 

“Seifer?!” She gaped at him. “Oh my god! He's _huge!”_

 

Laguna looked at her in surprise. “Elle, do you know this guy?”

 

“Elle?” Seifer looked at her sharply, all traces of his distress instantly disappearing as his eyes lightened into solid gold. A shudder went through the group at the unnerving, immediate change. “Elle... Ellone?”

 

“Yes...” She couldn't seem to believe who she was looking at.

 

He looked her up and down. It occurred to Quistis then that not only had Seifer probably not known what Ellone looked like, he'd probably also never made the Ellone/Sis connection.

 

“Ellone...” he said slowly, shaking his head. “Well, Ultimecia still wants you, so I'll keep you alive. But I am really not happy with you, Sis.”

 

“ _So much for him holding back against a beloved older sister,”_ thought Quistis with a bitter inner twist. 

 

“One of your orphanage friends?” Laguna asked warily as Seifer's glare for Ellone intensified, burning off the golden color to become bright blue-green again.

 

“Not a friend, I just used to have to discipline him all the time,” said Ellone, staring back at Seifer. “He was always so... Ugh. Just a brat. But not really bad, you know? Just troubled.”

 

“And that has _nothing_ to do with you taking away the person I loved most in the entire world,” said Seifer, his voice thrumming with anger. Instability seemed to flicker around him, making everyone tense up. “You remember the day you left? I was screaming and crying for Matron not to go, but she thought _you_ were the most important. She was the _only_ one who cared about me, who treated me like a kid instead of a pain in the ass! And she chose _you!_ ”

 

“That wasn't it!” Ellone exclaimed, going pale. “We left on that ship to make sure everyone else was safe! People kept coming after me! Sorceresses and petty dictators who wanted to use me against Uncle Laguna... Dr. Odine, even! We had to leave and I needed to learn about my power. That's why Edea went with me!”

 

“ _You took her away,”_ Seifer roared, fire like the surface of the sun boiling around his blade. He looked utterly berserk, skin flushed, veins standing out on his exposed skin, eyes wild with deluded conviction. “ _This is all **your** fault! _You broke up the orphanage! You stole Matron! If you didn't exist, we'd still all be together and we wouldn't be trying to kill each other like this! We'd still be... We'd still be a..”

 

Ellone stared at him helplessly, hands half-out like she wanted to hold him. Or maybe throw them up to defend herself.

 

“Don't listen to a word he says,” said Zell, firing a Quake at Seifer that sent the older boy staggering to his knees. “He always knows the meanest thing to say.”

 

“And he was trying to kill us long before you were around,” said Irvine, sighting on Seifer and firing as soon as Seifer landed on the ground. Seifer jerked as Irvine's shot tore a chunk out of his shoulder, but it was mostly coat judging how Seifer surged to his feet and charged at Ellone. Laguna fired and everyone cringed as bloody trails flew from Seifer's arms and legs, but nothing deterred him.

 

Ellone pressed her hands together and began to shine with green light. Seifer snarled, but all of a sudden he staggered and the flames died out, falling like they were attached to pieces of paper. He swayed, clutching his head. Then he collapsed bonelessly to the ground, completely unconscious.

 

“Nice!” Selphie whooped. “Where'd you send him, Sis?”

 

“Back to his childhood,” sighed Ellone, wiping her forehead. “Hopefully a few hours there will be enough to get him recentered and un-crazy.” Her expression looked tortured. “I'm—”

 

“We can't change the past,” said Squall, shaking his head. “So let's not regret it. Especially now.”

 

“We got a little under eight minutes before this popsicle stand blows on its own,” said Laguna, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at Adel's Tomb. “So let's—!”

 

“Sir Laguna!” Selphie screamed as a clawed hand appeared around Laguna's neck, hauling him off the ground as he kicked and flailed, his face turning purplish as the clawed fingers tightened. Ellone whipped around and shrieked at the sight of Adel's slate-blue arm popping out of the containment unit.

 

“I remember you,” said a terrible voice that made everyone's bones ache with dread. “It must be fate, that yours is the first face I see after such a long time. Dirty little trickster.”

 

Laguna twisted his arm around and pressed the muzzle of his machine gun against Adel's arm. She roared with pain as he pulled the trigger and when she dropped him, he sank into a roll that put him more than ten feet away from her. Ellone ran too and everyone stared in horror as Adel pulled herself from the strange, almost gooey golden globe that had been her prison for the past seventeen years. Her eyes blazed scarlet with a madness that made everyone tense up, her body rippling with long-suppressed power.

 

“Fish or cut bait?” Irvine asked Squall in a low voice as Adel straightened.

 

“Fish,” said Squall, raising his gunblade.

 

“In seven minutes?” Selphie squeaked.

 

“Running just lets her shoot at our backs.”

 

“Do run,” said Adel, raising one clawed hand. She was thin from her captivity but still monstrously tall, all but brimming with malevolent power. “I eat my prey raw.”

 

She hurled a bolt of pure energy at Squall, but something like white wings wrapped around him and absorbed the attack with a flare like a newborn star. 

 

“You're not the only hunter around,” said Rinoa in a steely voice, her eyes glowing blue-white.

 

“When did Rinoa become a sorceress?” Quistis asked Irvine, who was nearest by.

 

“When she got possessed,” said Irvine. “Not entirely sure what happened, but she's definitely on our side.”

 

Adel laughed, pointing at Rinoa. “You? You're a baby. A fledgling. Do you know how I got my powers, little one? I captured and tortured every sorceress I could lay my hands on, until they surrendered their strength to me for the sweet bliss of a dying breath. You are nothing.”

 

“But I'm not alone,” said Rinoa, firing her shining blaster edge at Adel. A red shield popped up in front of Adel's face, an invisible wind making her long red braid fly as the pearly-gold blade fell to the ground in front of her.

 

“Neither were the others,” said Adel, advancing. “Which of these is your knight, little pinfeathered baby? I'll tear him to pieces before your eyes.”

 

Laguna fired, highlighting Adel's menacing stalk in red light as her shield intercepted every single bullet. Zell and Selphie hurled magic and gasped when she literally swatted the spells away, laughing the entire time. Rinoa visibly wilted as Adel approached, but Squall placed himself squarely in front of her, his eyes as cold as steel.

 

“You can try it,” said Squall to Adel, no fear or hesitation in his voice at all. “But you've never met a SeeD before.”

 

Without warning Squall lunged forward and Adel screamed as he slashed and connected five times. A globe of white light charged up in the inside of his hard light gunblade and with a powerful underhanded swing, Squall bashed Adel into the air and then leapt up, his eyes blazing. Everyone stared as he whirled and swung, connecting every single time as the glowing blue blade slashed faster than should have been humanly possible.

 

“Daaang,” Irvine breathed when Adel fell to the ground. Squall landed and sprang back in front of Rinoa, breathing hard but otherwise uninjured. Adel was a mess. Even as her wounds sealed with bubbling hisses, they could see shock in her red eyes.

 

And maybe fear.

 

“We got this,” said Zell, nodding as courage welled up in him. “We got this! Come on, guys!”

 

Adel snarled and lunged at him, but Quistis snapped her whip and caught the sorceress around the waist. With a mighty yank Quistis ripped her razor-edged whip free and Adel jerked as her skin was flayed from muscle and bone. Selphie threw Bio into the sealing wound, but the sorceress smacked the magic away with an irritated growl.

 

The SeeDs were unquestionably the combat experts, so Ellone provided support with magic from the sidelines as Laguna rapidly canceled the self-destruct sequence. Adel hurled bolts of pure energy that were thicker and deadlier than lightning, and when Zell took a bolt to the chest, white-hot energy exploded from his eyes, ears, and open mouth as he screamed. Ellone cast Life and Curaga, snapping him back from the brink just in time.

 

“Those really fucking hurt!” He shouted to everyone, making Adel laugh.

 

“Let's go,” whispered Raijin to Fujin. They were out in the hall still, trying to find a good way to extract Seifer before he became an accidental casualty in the battle. He was still lying facedown on the floor, completely unconscious. Furtively Raijin and Fujin crept in, their eyes only on their friend. Raijin slung Seifer over his neck and shoulder fireman-style while Fujin kept a weather eye out.

 

“DUCK!” Fujin shrieked, she and Raijin dropping as a bolt of white-hot energy streaked above their heads.

 

“More flies?” Adel demanded, turning her burning gaze on them.

 

“Balls,” Raijin blurted out, his eyes widening at the sight of her.

 

“FIGHT,” Fujin hissed, crossing her arms in front of her face. Adel laughed and then choked as Fujin wrapped a vacuum around her.

 

Then with a roar like something from the beginning of time, Adel burst free of Fujin's vacuum spell and laughed at the pale girl.

 

“You think oxygen deprivation bothers _me_ after seventeen years in outer space?” Adel asked scornfully. Fujin started to tremble.

 

“Well then have a little radiation!” Raijin shouted, throwing balls of lightning at Adel. She swung her hand disdainfully at them, but stared when the lightning refused to yield like the other magic. She got her hand in front of her face just in time and shrieked as lightning convulsed her system. Instantly Fujin and Raijin ran for the hallway, faces pale even as they both checked to make sure Seifer was not falling off Raijin's shoulder.

 

“Come on, really?” Zell demanded, exasperated.

 

“This isn't their fight, Zell!” Quistis said, lashing Adel while Raijin's lightning still shocked her system. Quistis winced as electricity flowed up her weapon and into her hand. Lightning always hurt, but Raijin's seemed to turn her very nerves to nothing but pure pain. Unwillingly Quistis flashed back to Seifer's GF test in the Lightning Forest, when he laughingly told her that Raijin's high fives were more painful than random lightning. She could see why now. She only hoped Adel was getting the worst of it.

 

“She's on the ropes!” Laguna shouted, firing bullets that were tipped with blue light and drew dazzling comets in the air. Adel screamed as the bullets sank into her skin and sizzled. “One big push, now.”

 

“Good luck,” said Raijin as he passed by Rinoa. Unseen by all, Seifer's hand brushed Rinoa's hip as she nodded at Raijin. A golden spark leapt from Seifer's body to Rinoa's. And Rinoa suddenly jerked, freezing in place like a marionette. Quistis happened to be looking at her and gasped as Rinoa's entire body flickered with white light.

 

“Squall!” Quistis cried, making Squall turn his focus from Adel. His eyes widened at the sight of Rinoa.

 

“No,” he cried out. “No! It's too soon! Not now!”

 

“What is this?” Adel demanded, looking at Rinoa sharply. Everyone tensed as a pair of black wings materialized at Rinoa's shoulderblades, and her head rolled around to look at Adel with golden eyes.

 

“Tch,” said Rinoa in a voice that reminded everyone of Edea in the bad old days. Instinctively everyone knew who was actually talking. “So you're Adel. You don't have much going for you other than power, do you?”

 

“Power is everything,” said Adel, her eyes glowing crimson. “Which you'd know... Interloper. _Where_ exactly are you?”

 

“Far and away,” said Ultimecia, moving Rinoa's body forward. “As you will now learn. I had planned to wait until you dispatched these fools, but the most boring thing in the world is watching someone else play your game.”

 

“You are weak here,” said Adel, flexing her black-clawed hands. “I can just barely see you behind that girl you're using. I'll make _both_ of you my own.”

 

“How amusing. I was thinking the same thing.”

 

“Shit,” said Laguna as the two sorceresses charged at each other, Adel shrieking and Ultimecia laughing in anticipation.

 

“Shouldn't we stop them?” Selphie cried, ducking as Adel fired at Ultimecia and missed. Ultimecia slung a bolt of what looked like pure night at Adel, neatly excising a palm-sized piece of flesh from Adel's arm.

 

“Just keep firing on Adel!” Squall shouted, charging the taller sorceress. “And stick to the plan!”

 

“But Rinoa—!”

 

“Ultimecia's not going to hurt Rinoa right now,” Squall shouted, slashing at Adel and jumping away before she could retaliate.

 

“Indeed, I shan't,” said Ultimecia, gathering matter like black holes in Rinoa's palms. “So take good care of me, why don't you?”

 

“Man, this sucks!” Zell shouted, nevertheless casting Regen on Ultimecia/Rinoa.

 

Quistis threw Protect, Selphie threw Shell, and Irvine slapped on Haste for good measure. Squall darted in and out like a striking snake, cutting long tracks along Adel's legs and arms when she tried to concentrate on Ultimecia. Ultimecia completely ignored Squall as she continued to attack Adel, laughing as the taller sorceress became visibly frustrated. Slowly Ultimecia drove Adel back.

 

“Give me your power,” said Ultimecia as Adel staggered. “Everything you're capable of in the pursuit of strength, I have studied and _improved._ Spare yourself before I treat you like a subject instead of a worthy opponent.”

 

“You haven't won yet,” said Adel, standing up and rolling her impressive shoulders. “In fact... I don't think you'll win at all.”

 

Adel made a slight twitching motion with one hand and across the room, Ellone shrieked as an invisible force dragged her forward. Instantly Ultimecia's smug look dropped from Rinoa's face.

 

“NO!” Ultimecia shrilled, hooking Rinoa's hands into claws; Ellone jerked to a stop in midair, trembling like a leaf.

 

“Elle!” Laguna fired at Ultimecia, making Squall shout in protest. Ultimecia flinched and in that second, Adel dragged Ellone to her and pressed the younger, smaller woman to her chest.

 

And pushed her in.

 

“Sis!” Zell cried in horror as Ellone shrieked and fought, sinking into Adel's body like it was made of quicksand. Adel laughed and Ellone screamed as strength flowed from her body into Adel's. The air around Ultimecia began to vibrate with pure rage.

 

“You _dare,_ you filthy piece of offal!” Ultimecia shrilled, her black wings flaring around her. “I will peel the skin from your flesh and stuff it down your throat before I rip the muscles from your bones. I will take your every memory and turn them inside out until even remembering a blink causes you nothing but pain!”

 

“But you'll still lose,” Adel taunted as Ellone's eyes rolled back in her head and she flopped forward, still sinking into Adel's body.

 

Squall threw a Curaga at Ellone, making her groan, and Zell slapped a Regen on her too.

 

“Target Adel only!” Squall shouted, nevertheless pale with panic. “Cut Sis free! Laguna!”

 

“What?” Laguna demanded, his eyes huge with shock.

 

“Your only job is keeping Ellone alive! Let us handle the rest!”

 

“Tch! Fine!” Laguna started casting recovery magic immediately.

 

Adel's laughter was cut short as five furious SeeDs and one enraged sorceress focused their efforts entirely on her. In less than five minutes she dropped to her knees, gasping and groaning. Ellone slid out of her body with a noise like being pulled like out of tar, shuddering as she slowly fell from Adel's body. Ultimecia crowed in triumph and reached for Ellone, but Zell ran up behind her and grabbed her around the waist, dragging her bodily away from Adel and Ellone.

 

“You stupid little—” Ultimecia clapped her hands to Zell's arms and Zell screamed as blackness like the space between stars ate into his arms. Quistis snapped her whip around, grabbed him by the belt, and yanked hard, dragging him off Ultimecia immediately. When he landed on his back by her feet, Quistis gasped in horror as she saw huge semicircles of flesh and bone missing from Zell's forearms.

 

“That was foolish,” she raged, casting Curaga after Curaga on Zell's ruined arms. As flesh, bone, and blood swelled back into existence with sickening pops and wet slurps, she said, “Why did you think that was a good idea?”

 

“Still alive, don't care,” said Zell, vaulting to his feet.

 

“I got you, Elle, I got you,” said Laguna, dragging Ellone free of Adel's dying body. “You okay?”

 

“Ugghhh... Gross...”

 

“Yeah, super gross,” said Laguna, smoothing her hair worriedly.

 

Ultimecia swooped at them, her eyes ablaze with golden fire. Laguna yelled and rolled so Ellone was underneath him, holding onto her tight. “No!” He shouted, shutting his eyes tight. “Not today, not  _ever!”_

 

“Buffs!” Squall shouted, making everyone hurl every protective spell in the book on Laguna. Ultimecia nearly bounced off the layered spells, but began ripping through them with her hands, a savage grin spreading across Rinoa's face. Her back was to Adel, who was breathing hard and bleeding heavily. Adel's eyes flicked to Ultimecia's back, or more specifically Rinoa's back.

 

“Take it,” Adel whispered, reaching out. She grabbed Rinoa's ankle, making Ultimecia whip around in shock. “Avenge me.”

 

There was something like a soundless rushing of wind. Adel sighed, seeming to sag, and fell over, her body turning to sand as everyone stared in disbelief. She was truly dead. Meanwhile Rinoa's body started to shake and vibrate, throwing off white light that seemed to flicker over a shape that did not yet exist.

 

“Elle,” said Laguna urgently, lifting his head and looking at Rinoa. “Elle, I know you're tired. But we have to do it now.”

 

“I know,” said Ellone, sitting up. She clapped her hands together, squeezed her eyes shut, and green light flared around her. The white shimmering around Rinoa grew more intense, almost blinding, and then abruptly cut out as Rinoa collapsed bonelessly to the ground in a falling spray of black feathers. Squall ran to her side instantly, his face haggard with fear.

 

“Now bring Rinoa back,” said Laguna, squeezing Ellone's shoulder urgently.

 

“On it,” she said, green light shining around her like a halo. At once Rinoa's eyelids fluttered and she groaned softly, making Squall sigh with relief.

 

“So much hate,” Rinoa whispered. “So angry...”

 

“Are you okay?” Squall asked her, tenderly touching her face as she sat up. “How do you feel?”

 

“Really...full? It's like my body's buzzing.” She touched her head, saying, “Adel's in here. But just who she was, not... It's hard to explain. But I think I know how to be a sorceress now...”

 

“Good,” said Irvine, tensing up as the world suddenly seemed to wobble around them. “We might need that sooner rather than later.”

 

“It's starting,” said Laguna, looking around sharply. “Okay, everyone. With all existence being smushed together like this, you're gonna fall apart if you don't have a clear goal. Think of your friends! Think of the bonds you have between yourselves! And think about where Ultimecia is. God willing, we'll see you all there.”

 

“We'll see you there too,” said Squall to Laguna, their eyes meeting in perfect connection, as the world began to melt into chaos. “And... Laguna?”

 

“Yeah, Squall?”

 

“...Tell me about my mother when I come back.”

 

“...You got it,” said Laguna with a stunned little grin. Reaching out, he clasped Squall's hand just as creation dissolved.

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: Lots of stuff happening in this chapter. Didn't realize how packed it was until I started sectioning it off again. Dang. I don't like ramming so many developments into such a short period of time, but there was just no place to really take a breath without stretching things out imho.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	31. Chapter 31

11 June 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

  
  


/\/\/\

  
  


Seifer came awake suddenly, staring up at a ceiling made of fitted pale gray stones, and when he looked to his side, a small boy with dark brown hair was snoring lightly in a bed that wasn't too far from his own. To his other side was a wall. Slowly Seifer sat up and looked around.

 

“ _I know this room,”_ he thought with a shiver. _“This is the orphanage. And...I'm...”_

 

Seifer looked at his hands. They were small, soft, and unscarred. The hands of a child. Around his wrist there was an overlarge silver bracelet with strange writing on the outside and a bit of chain that looped around his arm three times.

 

“Holy shit,” Seifer exclaimed softly and then froze at the sound of his own voice. Had he really been _that_ high-pitched as a kid? “What the fuck is going on?”

 

A little gasp from the other side of the room. Seifer looked up and saw a blond boy with unruly hair and scandalized green eyes staring at him, pale with horror. A brunet boy with chestnut-colored hair and eyes that were cornflower blue stared at him in delight.

 

“You said a bad word,” whispered the blond one.

 

“Piss off!” Seifer half-shouted, making the blond kid's face screw up with tears. As the baby wuss started to wail, Seifer flung the blanket off himself, yanked on some clothes, and ran outside for answers. The ambient light told him it was morning and as Seifer ran, the smell of the sea filled his lungs and brought memories hurtling back. It was his sixth birthday, and always for a child's birthday there was...

 

A tantalizing smell made Seifer stop dead in his tracks, and more memories began flooding back. Like he heard a siren singing, Seifer followed the smell with unerring accuracy to the kitchen, where a tall, elegant woman in all black hummed softly and made pancakes.

 

“Matron,” Seifer gasped, the bottom falling out of his heart.

 

She looked over her shoulder. She was even more beautiful that he'd remembered, all but aglow with affection. Seifer felt tears starting in his eyes at the sight of her familiar black dress, her long and unbound hair. He remembered that it was as smooth as silk, and that he was the only boy allowed to touch her hair and braid it because he was always careful...

 

“Seifer, what's wrong?” Matron asked him, turning away from the stove.

 

“ _I'm hallucinating,”_ thought Seifer, backing up. Fear made his heart feel like it was trying to claw out of his chest and without a word Seifer tore down the hallway, running blindly for the entrance of the orphanage. He nearly knocked over a few of the older children in his haste, streaking past rooms he remembered...

 

...the reading room, filled with battered and well-loved books.

 

...the pantry, stuffed with cheap foods that could feed an army.

 

...Cid and Edea's room, which never had its door closed to the children.

 

But the front door was closed. Seifer yanked on the heavy iron ring and swore like a sailor when the thing wouldn't budge. Belatedly he realized the cracks were stuffed with straw.

 

“ _It's my birthday. It's always cold for my birthday. And the orphanage was always falling apart somehow, so when it gets cold, you have to seal up the doors and windows... I forgot all about that.”_

 

“My goodness,” said a mild male voice, making Seifer look over his shoulder. A younger, much slimmer Cid looked down at him, an expression of impressed dismay on his face. It was bizarre not seeing him in a sweater and pleated pants. Seifer had completely forgotten how Cid used to be the sole protector of the orphanage, and seeing him in well-worn leather pants, boots, and gloves made of tanned dragonhide threw him for a loop.

 

“Young man, where did you learn such language?” Cid asked, folding his arms.

 

“I hear you when you fix things,” Seifer retorted, making Cid laugh and shake his head.

 

“I doubt that,” said Cid. “Because I'm sure I'd never accuse a doorknob of all the things you just said.” As Seifer flushed, Cid walked forward and ruffled his hair. “Well... I'll let it slide because it's your birthday, but don't ever let me catch you saying such things again. And if I hear the other children repeating them, I'll be looking to you too. Vulgarity is the language of idiots, Seifer, and I know you're a smart boy.”

 

Had Cid always talked to him this way? Seifer tried to remember and was surprised when more memories of Cid's encouragement floated to the top of his head.

 

“You frightened Edea half to death,” said Cid, scolding him lightly. “She told me you looked like you'd seen a ghost.”

 

“...I had nightmares,” said Seifer, letting Cid take his hand and walk him back to the kitchen.

 

“Oh? What sort?”

 

“...I...I was older. And...evil.”

 

“ _And alone...”_

 

“Evil!” Cid chuckled. “Well, no wonder it's a nightmare. I can't think of any reason why you'd ever be evil.”

 

“Why?” Seifer asked, looking up at him.

 

“Because no one loves the evil, Seifer,” said Cid, smiling down at him. “And you are most assuredly loved. And let me say, happy sixth birthday.”

 

“...thanks.”

 

“Happy birthday,” said Edea softly when Seifer and Cid came back to the kitchen. There was a plate of perfectly cooked silver dollar pancakes on a wooden table that had a fine patina of age, oil, and too many spills to count. You couldn't write a letter on that thing if you tried, but nobody had ever gotten a splinter. As Seifer went to the table, Edea pulled the chair out for him and smiled when he climbed onto it. “And, as a treat...”

 

She dropped a handful of summer-ripe raspberries on the pancakes, making him stare. It was the dead of winter.

 

“ _How did I never realize she was a sorceress before?”_ thought Seifer, looking around the kitchen. He remembered the little trees Edea liked to keep inside, but he'd never realized until now that one of them grew lemons, limes, _and_ oranges. There was some weird hybrid herb tree that lived on the windowsill too and looked like a chimera of rosemary, basil, green onion, and cilantro.

 

Seifer looked back at the kitchen table. There was a little pot of syrup and a pat of soft butter, obviously meant to be used on the pancakes. Warily at first, Seifer ate and sighed deeply as something more complete than mere warmth filled his body. He looked at Cid and Edea, seeing the older, pained people they would become in their smiling faces. His throat locked up.

 

“I'm sorry,” he said, tears pricking his eyes.

 

“Sorry?” Cid and Edea exchanged a glance. He'd forgotten they'd used to do that all the time. “Sorry for what?” Edea asked, tilting her head. Seifer started to cry in earnest. It was so much easier to do as a child.

 

“For everything,” he wept, thinking of what their lives were going to become. He remembered screaming at Matron for taking Squall's side _again,_ punching and hitting Cid later on because Cid was not Matron. Seeing the hurt flash in their eyes as they told evenly that they were going to give him some space until he calmed down and thought about what he did. He remembered Cid distancing himself at Balamb Garden as new duties and Seifer's refusal to interact with him took their toll.

 

He started bawling as Cid and Edea hugged him, seemingly shielding him from things that hadn't happened yet; acutely Seifer felt their concern and their love as Edea soothed him with nonsense noises and Cid just rocked him back and forth. He had no idea how long he cried before he was finally too exhausted for tears, but the pancakes were cold and he'd gathered an audience.

 

Miniature versions of Squall, Zell, Irvine, Selphie, and Quistis all looked at him in worry as they hovered around the kitchen table. And a girl who was maybe about ten or eleven watched from the kitchen doorway, chewing her nails a bit. It was Sis. For no good reason Seifer noticed a bandage around her right forearm.

 

“ _This isn't a hallucination,”_ Seifer decided. There was no reason to hallucinate something as utterly random as a bandage on Sis's arm. Somehow he was back in his own past...

 

“ _But why today?”_

 

“D'yoo have nightmares?” Zell asked hesitantly. Seifer nodded, too tired to say anything, and was surprised when Zell said, “I have 'em too.”

 

Selphie, unspeakably adorable, pulled something out of her pocket and pushed it silently across the table to him. Seifer looked down and saw it was a butterscotch.

 

“I was saving it,” she informed him gravely. “But you should have it.”

 

“That's very kind of you, Selphie,” said Edea, still hugging Seifer.

 

“Let's split it,” said Seifer, his voice rusty with tears.

 

Everyone looked at him in surprise. Was him offering to split a candy really that much of an anomaly? Seifer remembered everyone being shitty to him when he'd been a child, but for the first time he wondered how shitty he'd been to everyone else.

 

Cid got a heavy cleaver and chopped the butterscotch in two, and because Seifer had completely lost his appetite, he let everyone else have his pancakes. _That_ was a gesture of generosity that nobody anticipated, though everyone was happy enough to tuck in. Seifer sucked on his half of a butterscotch and watched everyone eat, his aching heart slowly relaxing as he saw how happy everyone was. To have a child's simple needs and wholehearted enjoyment...

 

“ _Well, for the time being, I'm a child. So I might as well enjoy it.”_

 

They played around for the rest of the day. Seifer was still too much of a teenager to really  _play_ much, but he watched the other children horse around and as the day went on, lost enough self-consciousness to join in hide-and-seek and tag. Zell called him a cheater during the first game when Seifer stumped everyone by lying flat on the roof, and during tag Seifer had to explain to a furious Sis that yes, he had done a base slide to tag Squall out, but Squall falling on his face was completely an accident. And that was how Seifer very nearly ended up in time-out on his birthday. 

 

As it was, his punishment for reckless and rowdy behavior was to help Matron clean up the kitchen, which he did with a vague sense of amusement. It was harder for him to handle slippery dishes, so he wiped down the table and swept the floor while Edea cleaned up the aftermath of dinner. Out of the corner of his eye Seifer saw several dishes scrubbing themselves and grinned a little.

 

“Now behave yourself,” said Edea when they were done, giving him a little kiss on the forehead.

 

“Yes, Matron,” he promised emptily. He was fully enjoying being a child again and had started thinking that maybe it wouldn't be so bad if he stayed around longer. As he went down the hall to go back the room he shared with the other boys, he noticed that one of the closet doors was open. Going back to the door, he opened it and cast a curious eye over the materials within. There was extra firewood, some cleaning supplies, and a box that had a danger symbol on it, which Seifer had to climb two shelves to reach. When he looked inside, he grinned; it was full of Dollet rockets.

 

“ _I'm gonna get in so much trouble,”_ he thought with glee, grabbing a handful and sticking them down his shirt. Carefully replacing the box, he went looking for fellow mischief-makers. The kids were settling down for the night, but looked up as soon as he ran in. 

 

“Come on losers, we're lighting fireworks on the beach!” He announced proudly. “Hurry up!”

 

Seifer ran to the back door. Upon finding that it didn't open, Seifer ran into the library, climbed up a shelf, and pushed the window open on a half-memory of always escaping from time out. In any case the window moved easily enough and Seifer almost fell out as he overused force. But he managed not to yell and climbed out without incident, and as he ran to the steps down to the beach, he glanced behind to see who was following him.

 

“Seifer, you're gonna get in sooo much trouble!” Selphie squeaked as she ran up; Seifer noted that she didn't scream or shout. Instead, her eyes were sparkling with intrigue.

 

“It's my birthday!” he said recklessly, running down to the beach. He figured their illegal activities would not be visible from the house if they stood on the sand, though as he looked down at the ocean he noticed that the water was a bit closer than he'd anticipated; it would be best to stay near the stairs. As Seifer glanced to see who was with him, he saw Selphie and Irvine in the lead, Squall and Quistis, and Zell hovering at the top of the stairs. The top of his head was touched with golden light from the house; he was going to stick out like a sore thumb.

 

“Get down here!” Seifer demanded.

 

“No!” Zell shrilled.

 

Fine. His loss. Seifer yanked the Dollet rockets out of his shirt and stuck a few in the sand. Belatedly he realized he didn't have matches.

 

“ _I wonder...”_ thought Seifer, looking at his hand. In the future Edea would give him power, but he instinctively knew that the strength and the ability to cast fire spells without para-magic were bonded to his soul. He had suffered for that strength with his body and heart. Seifer remembered the feel of calling that fire out of his body and throwing it against his enemies...

 

“ _But there aren't any enemies right now. I just need a little flame for fun.”_

 

Seifer concentrated on his fire powers, staring intently at the tip of his finger and visualizing something as tiny as the flame on the end of a match. Still, he was surprised when a little flicker of heat went up his hand and popped out above his hand in a tiny little burst, exactly the size of a match flame. It even sizzled. Seifer grinned and quickly lit the three rockets, jumping to a safe distance. These were either old or had the longest fuses he'd ever seen, because more than ten seconds later, the rockets began to spit fireballs out over the ocean, trailing glowing plumes of green, red, and magenta that exploded into little crackles before fading. Selphie ooh'ed and Irvine clapped. Seifer glanced to see Quistis's reaction and saw she was grinning. By her side, Squall was staring at the twinkling blazes with huge eyes.

 

“Kids aren't supposed to play with fireworks!” Zell shrilled from the top of the cliff.

 

“And chickens should be in their coop already!” Seifer shouted back, making Zell squall indignantly. He stuck two more rockets in the sand before Irvine was at his side.

 

“I wanna light it,” said the chestnut-haired boy.

 

Seifer hesitated. He didn't want to discourage Irvine, but how would the boy react to sudden magical fire? On the other hand, the spent rocket sticks were made of wood. Shielding what he was doing from Irvine, Seifer lit one of those with fire powers and handed it to the younger boy. Immediately Irvine touched the burning stick to one rocket and then the other. The first rocket spat fireballs immediately, but the second hissed and then fizzed out. Everybody groaned in disappointment.

 

“Dud,” said Seifer, picking up the faulty rocket. He jerked as motion apparently put the spark in the right place and a fireball exploded from the end of the rocket, skimming flat over the waves before disappearing. As five more comets of fire popped out of the rocket, Seifer got a terrible, wonderful idea.

 

“Hey,” he said to the other kids. “Let's play a game.”

 

“What game?” Irvine asked, his eyes locked enviously on the burning rocket in Seifer's hand.

 

“It's an awesome game,” said Seifer, tossing the rocket as soon as it spat its last. He had four left. Seifer ran over to Irvine and handed him one, lit both rockets, and then ran away as fast as he could, nearly tripping in the soft sand. Mentally he counted down until he reached ten, then turned around and pointed the rocket at a spot that was about five feet to Irvine's left. Instantly the girls screamed and ran halfway up the stairs, Quistis grabbing Squall at the last second to drag him out of harm's way. Selphie laughed even as she shrieked, looking more delighted than anything.

 

“Don't get hit!” Seifer shouted. Irvine gaped at him before laughing and aiming his rocket at him.

 

“En garde!” Irvine shouted gleefully. His rocket went off first and Seifer dodged, laughing; it sailed harmlessly past him, nowhere close, and puffed into the sand with a soft hiss. Dollet rockets weren't exactly precision instruments.

 

“Hah ha!” Seifer crowed, giddy on the purest form of ridiculousness he could ever remember. A teenager's mindfulness made Seifer angle his rocket slightly up so it arced over Irvine's head. “Take that!”

 

“Take this!” Irvine swung the rocket behind his back, popping off another fireball at Seifer; Seifer rolled across the sand just because he could and he heard the wet spark of the Dollet rocket whizzing past his side. That one was closer.

 

“Puny mortal, I am a WIZARD!” Seifer shouted, slashing dramatically at the air; he kept a count in his head and aimed at-ish Irvine right before the rocket went off.

 

“Me too!” Irvine shouted back.

 

“Wizard fight!” Selphie squealed from the stairs, excited despite everything.

 

“Wizard battle,” Quistis interjected, though her eyes also shone with delight.

 

“Wizard battle!” Squall confirmed, his voice verging on something like enthusiasm.

 

Some twenty feet apart, the fireballs were easy to dodge, but then Irvine got excited and started to run toward Seifer, his eyes shining with reckless joy. Seifer found himself backing up step by step, and then bound by bound as Irvine closed the distance. It was just enough like real combat that Seifer's blood sang, but the sheer joy of movement and the satisfying rush of a near miss completely overwhelmed anything like bloodlust.

 

“ _I see,”_ Seifer realized distantly as he jumped over one of Irvine's magenta-colored plumes and laughed. _“This is how it started... Speed, power, movement, being clever... No wonder I like combat as much as I do.”_

 

“I got you now!” Irvine shouted as Seifer realized he hadn't been paying attention. When he looked to see where the fireball was coming from, it was already too late and Seifer yelped as it hit him square in the chest. He flapped his shirt to get it off, but all it did was put the burning spark down the front of his shirt. Seifer felt a half-second of heat before the little spark exploded directly against his chest.

 

It didn't even hurt as bad as a regular old Fire spell did, but Seifer still yelled in shock. Irvine instantly dropped his rocket, horrified, and Seifer had to dodge the last fireball as the rocket spat one last shot at him. Seifer threw his own rocket aside in his mad scramble to get the still-hot sparks out of his clothes and the girls shrieked as the flying incendiary threw a burning green comet by the stairs, though it exploded a safe distance away. As soon as Seifer had yelled, Zell had gone tearing back to the house, screaming at the top of his lungs, and by the time Seifer shook all the sparks out of his shirt, he heard the pounding of adult footsteps.

 

“Ah, shit,” he muttered where no real children could hear him.

 

“What is going on?” Edea demanded, her voice full of fear and anger. Seifer looked up at her, his spine prickling as he remembered the voice she would use later as Ultimecia's tool, but there was only protectiveness in her mien as she quickly surveyed the situation and then flew over to him. Literally. To everyone else it probably looked like she just jumped a long distance, but Seifer caught a ghostly shimmer of wings that blended in with the light shining off her black hair. He smiled.

 

“I'm okay,” he told her as she ran up to him and dropped to her knees in the sand. He saw Cure sparking around her hands as she healed him and as soon as she opened her mouth, Seifer quickly said, “I'm sorry and it was an accident.”

 

“What were you doing?” She demanded. Yanking the two unlit rockets from his shirt, she held them in front of his face and said, “Where did you get these?”

 

“The hallway door was unlocked,” he said, looking down at his chest. It had healed perfectly smooth, but Seifer felt a dull ache where the rocket spark had exploded and realized with a bit of a laugh that it was exactly where Quistis would shoot him many years later.

 

“CID!” Edea screeched, whipping around and glaring balefully at her husband; Cid was still in the process of getting down the stairs, but was being mobbed by children who were crying, screaming, or protesting vociferously that nothing was their fault. Sis and a few of the other older children were at Cid's side, looking a mixed bag of horrified and jealous they hadn't come up with something so awesome.

 

“I swear, I thought I locked it!” Cid shouted back, going pale.

 

Edea growled and then looked back at Seifer. “Didn't you listen to me when I told you to behave? Fireworks are not for children!”

 

“But it's my birthday,” said Seifer, enjoying the expression of baffled fury that went across Edea's face and then immediately feeling bad for thinking it was funny.

 

“And if you want to see your _next_ one, you will never play such a terrible game again!” Edea glared at Seifer before hugging him hard. He could feel her pulse hammering. “I was terribly frightened. Don't ever play with fire like that again.”

 

“Okay,” said Seifer aloud, while in his head thinking, _“I'll play with real fire, magical fire, and Flares instead. And knives and swords at the same time, oooh._

 

“ _...I'll grow up and become a premier combat specialist, a fancy word for an assassin and a jack-of-all-bloody-trades, and I'll set the world on fire when someone who looks like you tells me that it'll burn really nice... And that it deserves to.”_

 

His core seemed to turn cold, but Edea took his sudden silence for apology and hugged him a bit more tightly before letting go.

 

Everyone went back inside. Because none of the children had gone out with their coats on, everyone was a little cold and Edea and Sis handed out bowls of steaming red vegetable soup. Seifer ate quietly and watched the scene around the table, knowing he'd never sit everyone with again in such a way.

 

Selphie was giving Irvine all of her onions, which he pretended to like for her sake.

 

Squall was saying something in a soft and continuous near-monotone of a babble to Sis, who nodded and made noises like she was actually paying attention.

 

Zell chomped on a big piece of buttered bread, his eyes shining with relief that everything was back to normal.

 

Edea fondly put her hand on Cid's even as she told him that if he ever left that closet unlocked again, she'd hang him in the well by his short hairs. Cid laughed and agreed that it would be fair.

 

“I hope you learned your lesson,” said Quistis to Seifer, putting on her best smart girl voice.

 

“Yeah,” he retorted. “Don't get caught.”

 

“Seifer,” said Edea warningly, looking down at him.

 

“I mean don't recklessly endanger the lives of civilians,” Seifer sighed, citing the SeeD manual.

 

“Close, but not quite,” said Edea. When Seifer glanced up at her, she said, “Don't endanger _your_ life. Don't be reckless with _your_ life. Value yourself more highly.”

 

“Okay,” said Seifer flippantly even as a weird shiver went through his chest. Turning his attention back to the soup, he tried to lighten the mood by saying, “And then maybe I'll _finally_ find a nice family that loves me just the way I am.”

 

To Seifer it was an old joke. Seifer had made lots of jokes about his inadoptability over the years and took it almost as a point of pride that no fluffy do-gooder couples could handle him and no really bad couples saw him as a weak target. Part of the reason that he knew he and Fujin and Raijin were going to be great friends was because they laughed at that joke instead of looking incredibly uncomfortable like everyone else. It wasn't until he heard a piece of silverware clatter on the floor that Seifer looked up and realized that everyone was staring at him in shock.

 

“What?” He asked warily, looking around the table. Seifer quickly realized that the kids only looked stunned because Cid and Edea looked absolutely horrified, and even Sis seemed disturbed. “What did I say?”

 

Cid and Edea looked at each other wordlessly. Then to Seifer's shock, Edea rose abruptly from the table and left the kitchen, pressing her hands to her mouth. There were tears in her eyes.

 

“ _Shit, what did I say?”_

 

“You made Matron _cry,”_ Zell said in horror.

 

“Shut up! No I didn't!” Seifer pushed away from the table, suddenly feeling like everyone was about to attack him. They were all stunned now, but in a second they'd be calling for his blood. Whether that was guilt or experience talking, he had no idea. Before anyone could object, Seifer ran after Edea.

 

He found Edea sitting on her bed in her room, tears dripping down her face. When she saw him, she wordlessly opened her arms and Seifer went to her. Edea picked him up and put him on her lap, hugging him like he was a baby.

 

“We just haven't found the right people for you yet,” she whispered, rocking him. “You don't have to be perfect for them, Seifer. They have to be perfect for _you_. And they're out there, I promise. I'm sorry it's taking so long.”

 

“Aww, Matron,” said Seifer, feeling acutely embarrassed. “It's not so bad. If I don't get adopted, I'll just...”

 

“ _Just turn into a mercenary and kill everyone who gets in my way.”_

 

“...just stay here,” he said lamely. As Edea let out a little sob, he added more details, saying, “I mean, I'll grow up and be like Sis, except, you know, a boy. And then when I get even more grown up, I'll fight monsters and protect people like Cid. And then maybe later, if you and Cid wanna retire, I'll be less horrible and I'll watch over everybody else. I'll be fine, Matron. Don't worry about me.”

 

“You are _not_ horrible and you _will_ find a nice family,” Edea said, her voice throbbing.

 

“I _am_ horrible, but I have a very nice family right here,” he told her, patting her knee. “So stop crying, Matron. I'll be okay. We'll all be just fine.”

 

“ _...said the liar...”_ thought Seifer guiltily, but he could almost believe it right now. Seifer could almost believe that nothing would ever change, that everyone would always be happy and have their needs met, that they'd never split up and turn into murder-trained strangers. He bit back a surge of unseemly fear that made his heart ramp up. 

 

They went back and finished dinner, though it turned out to be just Cid; Sis and the other children were off somewhere, so Seifer ate without anyone giving him crap for accidentally making Edea cry. Afterward Seifer helped out with kitchen cleanup without being asked, reluctant to spend time away from Cid and Edea when things were normal. It bordered on masochistic how he made himself look at their smiles, the way they exchanged little touches, every sign of the unspoken connection that would let them survive apart for so long. How long would it be until they had to part? Did they even know what was coming? Seifer opened his mouth to warn them, but stopped himself. If they didn't know, he was only going to hurt them. And if they did, there was no point in ruining their moment.

 

Seifer went to the kids' room. To his surprise, he saw that the space between his bed and Squall's had been turned into a blanket fort... But not a very good one. It sagged so much that he could distinctly see the bumps of five little heads underneath the coverlet.

 

“What are you guys doing?” He asked, making little squeaks pop out from under the blanket.

 

“Shh, get inside!” He heard an unidentifiable child voice say. It was probably Quistis. Seifer took a moment to tighten up the edges of the blanket fort by stuffing the coverlet between the mattresses and the walls before getting inside. Everyone was clustered around a book that Quistis was reading from with Selphie holding the flashlight. When Seifer looked down, he almost laughed.

 

“Scary stories?” He asked, raising his brows.

 

“ _So_ scary,” Zell whispered, his eyes huge. 

 

“You'd better not poke anybody,” said Quistis severely to Seifer, making him grin.

 

“That's the best part,” he said, nevertheless grabbing a pillow and lying down. They'd dragged all the blankets and pillows off their beds and put some on the floor, making a very comfortable area to lie on. Quistis pinned him with a glare until Seifer promised not to poke anyone, and only after he swore three times did she continue reading. They weren't _super_ scary stories, but everyone was five and six and it was a good bit scarier under the blanket. Even if Quistis stumbled over words, everyone still shivered and squealed at the right places. After a while, Seifer got another terrible idea.

 

“I know a really scary story,” he said, grinning hugely.

 

“No!” Zell immediately clapped his hands over his ears. Looking pale, Squall did the same.

 

“Telltelltell!” Selphie squealed, clapping her hands and making the flashlight wobble all over the ceiling.

 

“Not _too_ scary, or else,” said Quistis, pursing her lips.

 

“Okay, fine,” said Seifer. He of course intended to give everyone nightmares. “Once upon a time, there was this hunter who had three dogs and he ate everything he could catch. He was really proud of that and he'd kill and eat anything, no matter how big or how small, just to say he did. One day he was out hunting and he saw this weird monster with a looong tail, and he said, 'I'm gonna eat that thing'. And he tried. But it ran away and all he got was the tail.

 

“So the hunter went home and cut the tail up and he ate it. He cut off some pieces for his three dogs too. That night he goes to sleep and all of a sudden he wakes up because he hears this weird voice going, ' _Taaaaaailypo. Taaaaailypo. Bring me back my taaaaailypo.'”_

 

Everyone was staring at him with huge eyes. Seifer sat up a bit and got a little more into it.

 

“So the hunter goes, White Dog, go outside and see what that is. And the dog went out...and didn't come back. Next day the hunter wakes up and finds the white dog _dead_ , its stomach ripped open!”

 

“Oh no!” Selphie clapped her hands over her mouth. “Poor doggie!”

 

“Yeah, poor doggie. So the hunter gets MAD and spends all day looking for whatever got his dog, but he can't find anything. That night he goes home, feeds himself and his two other dogs, and he goes to sleep. And again, in the middle of the night, he hears, ' _Taaaaaailypo. Taaaaailypo. Bring me back my taaaaailypo.'”_

 

“I don't like this story!” Zell said, sounding like he was going to cry.

 

“Shush it, this is awesome,” said Irvine, his eyes huge with anticipation.

 

“And the hunter goes, Red Dog, go outside and see what that is. And the dog goes out...and doesn't come back. The next day, the hunter finds his red dog _dead,_ its stomach ripped open too!”

 

Now everyone looked really scared. Seifer had to bite back his glee. This was going to be great.

 

“So the hunter goes out with his last dog, super mad, and tries to find whatever got them, but he can't find anything. So he goes home, he feeds himself and his last dog, and he goes to sleep. And right again in the middle of the night, he hears ' _Taaaaaailypo. Taaaaailypo. Bring me back my taaaaailypo.'_

 

“So the hunter goes, Black Dog, go outside and see what that it, but this time the hunter gets his gun, right, and goes outside too. But it's night, so Black Dog just disappears into the darkness. And no matter how many times the hunter calls, Black Dog says nothing. He runs around all night, and when day finally breaks, he finds the black dog _dead,_ its stomach ripped open too!

 

“Now the hunter gets really mad. He really liked those dogs. So that night, after he feeds himself and goes to bed, he waits up. And he waits. And right around midnight, he hears, ' _Taaaaaailypo'_ from outside. He doesn't have any more dogs, so he takes his gun and he goes toward the door. But then he hears the door squeak open...”

 

Squall began to make a distressed whine, making Quistis hug him as she stared at Seifer with huge blue eyes.

 

“...and the hunter looks around. He doesn't know who opened the door.”

 

“He looks to the left,” said Seifer, pointing at Irvine and Selphie. “He looks to the right,” he said, pointing at Squall and Zell. “And then he looks up and sees the weird creature he hunted three days ago, _with the eaten bits of its tail stuck back on again!”_

 

Now the kids were all white with terror. Seifer grinned broadly, maniacal glee making him want to savor this as long as possible.

 

“And the creature looks at the hunter and says, ' _Taaaaaailypo. Taaaaailypo. Bring me back my taaaaailypo.'_ And the hunter is so scared that he says, 'I don't have your tailypo. I don't have it! And the creature...creeps down the ceiling, staring at him... And says—”

 

“YES YOU DOOO!”

 

Everyone, Seifer included, screamed bloody murder as the coverlet was yanked violently off the mattresses, and when they frantically whipped around, it was Sis, holding the blanket and laughing hysterically.

 

After that it was chaos. Zell and Squall burst into loud wails that immediately summoned Cid and Edea, and Sis was the one who caught the most crap for scaring everyone. Quistis tried to insist that Seifer was the one who'd really scared everybody the most, but Seifer countered with having gotten the idea from Quistis since she was illegally reading scary stories first. Meanwhile Selphie and Irvine escaped the room to run up and down the halls playing taily-tag, which ended when Selphie leapt on Irvine and tickled him mercilessly while making loud growling noises that woke up the older children of the orphanage.

 

It was at least an hour before everyone settled down to go to bed, and it was glorious. Despite all the trouble, Cid and Edea still tucked everyone in and Edea kissed everybody goodnight. When she got to Seifer, she bopped him gently on the nose before kissing his forehead.

 

“Sweet dreams,” she said, smiling fondly at him. Behind her, Cid smiled and reached down to ruffle Seifer's hair.

 

“Less hooliganry tomorrow, hmm?” He said.

 

“Nope,” said Seifer, yawning. “You're stuck with me.”

 

He heard them both laugh before the lights went out and they tiptoed out of the room. Seifer rolled over in his blankets and felt himself falling unconscious almost preternaturally fast. There was a vague sense of foreboding that came over him with that realization that made him wonder when he'd felt it last...

 

“ _Oh... It was from Sis. Ellone. Ellone, shining with green light... She must have a special power. She's the one who put me back here. That must be why she left... Why Matron had to go with her. Huh... Well... It was nice to go back for a little while. I kinda wish I could have stayed a little longer...”_

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: Little Irvine is doing pretty much the exact poses that teenager Irvine does when he's firing Fast Ammo, lots of trick shots and flourishes. And I got the scary story idea from that one bit in Winhill where Quistis pretends to be a ghost in that one house and gives herself a giggle fit.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	32. Chapter 32

13 June 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\

  
  


Gradually Seifer became aware of his body again, and a single deep breath told him that he was back in his present, or at least in his adult body. There was pressure around his hands that made him frown; when Seifer opened his eyes, he saw Fujin and Raijin facedown on the ground, each of them holding one of his hands and also holding onto each other. As soon as he stirred, he saw them twitch and look up too.

 

“MADE IT,” Fujin whispered, looking pale but happy.

 

“That was really rough,” groaned Raijin.

 

“What do you mean?” Seifer asked them. Then he looked around. “...Where are we?”

 

“Beats me,” said Raijin, letting go of Seifer's hand and sitting up. Fujin sat up too and they all looked around the towering, opulent castle room they found themselves in. There was a deep, plush carpet on the floor that not only screamed luxury, but inhuman quality and comfort. It felt like red rabbit fur when Seifer ran his hand over it. The ceiling seemed to be at least fifty feet above and was supported by fluted columns that were too lovely to have been shaped by mortal hands. A prickle of foreboding went through Seifer's spine and started buzzing in his skull.

 

“What happened?” Seifer asked Fujin and Raijin. They looked at him closely for a long time, not saying anything.

 

“What's the last thing you remember?” Fujin asked Seifer carefully.

 

Seifer opened his mouth and then closed it. He could remember events. But the conviction that colored everything he'd done was gone, making him feel like he was walking on a pane of glass above an abyss. His last really clear memory was...

 

“ _Cast Cure on yourself,” said Seifer, looking at Quistis in his arms. She was breathing hard, gray-faced, clutching ribs that were probably broken from the Sorceress slamming her into the ceiling and the walls. When Quistis looked at him suspiciously, Seifer mentally rearranged his junctions to put everything into strength and got ready to throw her to safety. And just because it seemed right and there probably wouldn't be another time to get it out, Seifer threw caution to the wind and said to Quistis, “Love you.”_

 

“Oh no,” Raijin groaned when he didn't say anything. “You've lost your memory! Quick, what's your name?”

 

“I know my own name, you dumbass,” Seifer snapped. Instantly he wanted to take the insult back, but then Raijin laughed and Fujin heaved a sigh of relief. “And to answer Fujin, I... I don't know. What have I been doing?”

 

Raijin and Fujin exchanged a glance. “You really don't remember?” Raijin asked hesitantly.

 

“No, I remember, I just...” Seifer looked at his two friends, gratitude churning unpleasantly with sheer confusion. “I was crazy. Why did you let me do all that?”

 

“We kept hoping you'd get better,” said Fujin softly. “You weren't crazy all the time. You'd have these flashes of being you, but they just got further apart and... You got worse. You kept getting worse.”

 

“We didn't know what do to, ya know?” said Raijin, rubbing the back of his head. “We just... We didn't want to let you out of our sight.”

 

Seifer sighed explosively, holding his head in both hands. “I don't know what to say. I don't know why everything happened like that. I'm sor—”

 

“Seifer, shut up,” said Raijin, making Seifer look at him in surprise.

 

“Mistakes were made,” said Fujin. “We're just glad you're back. Now.” She studied him closely, sitting up onto her knees to study his face. “EYES.”

 

“No,” said Raijin, also coming close. Seifer resisted the urge to lean away as they stared intently into his face. “See? He's still got that little ring.”

 

“What the hell are you two talking about?” Seifer demanded.

 

They glanced at each other and then sat back on their heels.

 

“Your eyes have been doing this really weird color-changey thing ever since this whole mess started,” said Raijin, folding his arms. “And we figured it had to do with your mental state.”

 

“BLACK; CRAZY. WINE; LESS CRAZY. GOLD RING; SUPER POWER.”

 

“Super power?” Seifer repeated. He looked down at his hand and made a fist. Not too long ago he remembered feeling like he could crush mountains between his fingers, but now it seemed to have the haziness of a bad trip. On a whim Seifer held his hand palm up and concentrated on his fire powers, and he yelped as the same effort that had produced a spark in his child-state past created a roaring tower that was at least three feet high.

 

“ _Nice to know I can still do this when I'm in my own head,”_ thought Seifer, staring at the fire. It was like when he weirdocasted with para-magic, except this seemed more real. Using para-magic was like spending money, but this felt like literally paying a pound of flesh, which (and he felt dumb for thinking it, but) fantasy stories had always told him it would feel like. Seifer extinguished the fire with a thought and assessed his physical condition. His body was fine but his head was still buzzing in a way that made him want to take a nap. 

 

“Guys?” He asked, looking at Fujin and Raijin. “What's it feel like to you when you're using your powers?”

 

They glanced at each other and then at him. “What do you mean?”

 

“I mean does your head hurt afterward?”

 

“Sometimes,” said Raijin, scratching behind his ear. “If I use it a lot. Practice makes it go away, though. It's like exercising, ya know?”

 

“FATIGUE,” said Fujin, nodding. “NAPTIME.”

 

Seifer nodded slowly. He'd always been envious of their elemental affinities, which they'd honed from a young age and always worked to perfect. He'd always assumed they'd had huge stores of para-magic, but now he wondered if their strength was something like what Edea/Ultimecia had given him.

 

“ _Given... Or unlocked? It's always been easier for me to cast fire magic... I go through it a lot more slowly than any other kind since it always has more bang for its buck.”_

 

They got to their feet and looked around. None of them had any clue where they were. So they picked a direction at random and started to look for a way out, or at least somewhere they could see the sky. It was ominously quiet in the massive castle, which made them walk slightly closer together and keep an eye on their backs. The hall seemed endless, but at last they came to a huge window that seemed at least thirty feet tall and yet still low enough to look through. On the other side of the glass they could see the sea stretching and glittering away, but the horizon was a semi-nauseating corona that none of them could look at for long.

 

And when they looked down, they realized that the castle was floating in the air.

 

“Alright,” said Seifer as they turned away, unsettled. “Theories.”

 

“We're dead and we don't know it yet,” said Raijin, his joke falling flat before the fear in his eyes.

 

“ALTERNATE DIMENSION,” said Fujin, folding her arms. There was uncertainty and fear in her gaze too.

 

“Time travel,” said Seifer, but as soon as the words left his mouth something like certainty settled over the three of them. _“Time compression,”_ Rinoa had said, her eyes ablaze with white-blue power that all but screamed 'sorceress'. When the fuck had that happened? Seifer wanted to rub his temples, but it wasn't like things would get less insane.

 

“Let's get outta here,” said Raijin, looking around uneasily. Nobody knew where to go, but staying still seemed like giving up.

 

So they went down the hall, which was blocked by a large door that nevertheless opened easily at their touch. On the other side was a grand curving staircase carpeted in the same deep red plush, the stone walls on either side lit with scented sconces and the ceiling covered with hanging draperies. The first one was red and just had a picture of a sun.

 

“Up?” Raijin asked Seifer.

 

“Might as well.”

 

So they went up. The second hanging was orange and had a picture of a sundial. The third was yellow and pictured a strange device that they all puzzled over before Fujin finally identified it as a water clock.

 

“I'm sensing a theme,” said Seifer dryly as they continued to climb up the stairs.

 

Raijin put his hands to his head and frowned in mock-concentration. “The next one is going to be green,” he said portentously.

 

“CANDLE,” said Fujin, pointing up at the next drapery; indeed, it was a marked candle, clearly meant to show the passing of time.

 

A royal blue hanging showed an hourglass, an indigo hanging showed a clock, and at the very top of the tower, glowing against a background of deep purple, was the symbol for infinity. The same symbol was put into the handles of the large double doors that were also at the top of the stairs. They were very, very large doors, easily thirty feet in height and every square inch of them covered in intricate inlaid carvings of gears all set in different metals. It was unspeakably lovely and also somewhat intimidating to look up at: Seifer felt like time itself was literally going to fall on him.

 

The doors did not push in, so they pulled on the handles instead and gasped at the room beyond. It was huge, first of all, and covered in a deep plush red rug that was an even more luxurious fur than the runner outside. Narrow windows that seemed like arrow slits for giants were spaced at equal intervals around the circular room, each of them set with a stained glass picture of a strange creature. There was something like an alchemical worktable on the left, several bookshelves with leatherbound tomes of various colors, and a very large circular bed that was the most luxious canopy bed Seifer had ever seen, though the piles of pillows around the edge reminded him of a bird's nest.

 

“Ooooh,” said Fujin in deep longing, eyeing the bed and its fluffy pillows.

 

“I wish,” Raijin sighed.

 

Seifer had to admit it looked very comfortable, but as he looked around, Seifer realized there was no way out of the room except the way they'd come in. He was about to suggest going downstairs when he glanced at the worktable and saw something that looked weirdly familiar. Walking over to the table, he picked up a helmet that was identical to the elaborate headdress that Edea had worn. The inside of it was a mass of shining silver circuitry, while the long red halves of the red mask displaying something like a screen. As Seifer peered inside the strange helmet, Fujin pointed at him.

 

“DON'T,” she said severely.

 

Seifer looked at the helmet, looked at her, and then never breaking eye contact with Fujin, slowly mimed like he was going to put it on his head.

 

“DON'T,” Fujin said, her eye flashing.

 

Seifer touched the edges of the helmet to his head. Fujin warningly raised her chakram, which made Seifer laugh until a flash of light behind Fujin and Raijin made him stop. Fujin and Raijin turned just in time to see a tall woman with white hair and a collar of black feathers around her fair face. The red robe she wore was made of something more sumptuous than velvet, and skimmed a body that was like something out of pure fantasy. Yet Seifer's blood instinctively chilled at the sight of her and he dropped the helmet in shock.

 

“You two are not welcome in my bedchamber,” said the woman in a low, throaty voice that seemed to go straight through Seifer's brain. Fujin and Raijin leapt away, ruffling the long black feathers on the woman's wings.

 

“Just looking for the exit,” said Raijin with an easy laugh. It didn't escape Seifer that they'd instinctively placed themselved in front of him.

 

“Hmm,” she said, looking past him at Seifer. Edea's eyes were amber, but this woman's eyes were the pure, hot gold that Seifer remembered seeing in Edea's face right when everything had started to go fuzzy. He swallowed hard.

 

The woman made a flicking gesture with her right hand and Fujin and Raijin jerked off to the side like someone had hooked them with a long cane. As they sprawled to the floor and abruptly froze in totally unnatural postures, the woman took a step forward and vanished in a flash of light, reappearing before Seifer before he had time to blink. Up close, she was shorter than he'd thought, but merely being able to look down at her didn't ease his sense of foreboding. Unconsciously Seifer took a step back. He wasn't sure if the marks on her face were something war paint to increase her fearsomeness, but she honestly didn't need it. _Threat_ rolled off her in waves.

 

“Hmm,” she said again, her eyes narrowing. “Is it possible...?”

 

She touched one of her clawed fingertips to his chest. Seifer gasped as a flood of heat spread out from that point of contact, consuming him like Edea's kisses had. He shook his head against the flow, but that only seemed to make it spread faster and when he looked at the woman again, he knew instinctively who she was.

 

“Ultimecia...” He breathed.

 

She smiled. “Yes.”

 

But something was off. Seifer knew what he should be feeling. He remembered how her voice brought him dreams and meaning, how she'd saved his life from death and mediocrity. Now she was beautiful and powerful on a level that inspired awe, but not worship. It was like seeing a movie with no sound, no color, and no story.

 

“ _This is just a woman I recognize,”_ Seifer realized, the conclusion making his heart grow still with apprehension. _“I don't...feel anything for her. What was I feeling all this time?”_

 

The ecstatic high of his regard for her seemed stupid, like shrieking over an idol who just looked their way on a program. The crushing lows of her disappointment seemed even more foolish, especially when circumstances had been beyond his control. And the desperation and craving he'd had for her attention made him feel sick.

 

“ _What happened to me? I don't know you at all, and yet I...”_

 

“Amazing,” Ultimecia said softly, her eyes glowing as she looked at Seifer. “I'd thought all the Zodiac Braves were long dead.”

 

...what?

 

**What.**

 

“I'm...what?” Seifer gasped, eyes bulging from his head. The Zodiac Braves?Quistis... She'd been telling him the truth? As his mind reeled from the information and his hands seemed to burn with the feel of Quistis's throat in his fingers, Ultimecia looked at him in surprise.

 

“Ah,” she said after a moment of silence. “You have been raised ignorant of your bloodline. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Adel supposedly slaughtered every Brave she could get her hands on. Poor boy... You don't even know what your parents looked like, do you?”

 

Ultimecia leaned down and picked up the helmet, holding it out to him.

 

“This little device will let you see,” she said.

 

Seifer stared at the helmet. “What is that thing?”

 

“A useful sort of toy,” said Ultimecia, turning it over in her hands. He saw her reach inside and press something that clicked a few times. “It allows one to send their consciousness to the past.”

 

“ _Like Sis can...”_ thought Seifer with a shock. Somehow the ability had been mechanized.

 

“My power allows me to go anywhere in the past I choose,” said Ultimecia, still pressing buttons. “But most people can only go to their own past. Which is typically all they want to look at.”

 

She held it out to him again. “I've set it up just for you. You can see the faces of your parents for the first time.”

 

“No,” said Seifer, even though he couldn't tear his eyes away from the device. Edea had been wearing that device when she wasn't herself. “How do I know you're not going to take control of my mind with it?”

 

Ultimecia blinked at him and then laughed, her throaty chuckle making Seifer tense up. “Oh, my dear boy... Why should I ever have to control a True Knight? I'm offering you this opportunity as a gift. This is but a trifling use of power and the barest glimpse of what you will be able to access as my knight.”

 

A gift? She was being  _nice?_ Seifer stared at Ultimecia, his confusion increasing the longer he looked at her. It was like... She didn't know who he was. She was acting like they hadn't met yet. Ultimecia didn't seem to know that she'd turned him inside out and dragged his service out of him... But why not?

 

“ _Maybe we_ haven't _met yet. Maybe.... Maybe this is my present, but this is her past... Which means I just lived her future...”_

 

It hurt to even start thinking about. Meanwhile Ultimecia put the helmet down on the worktable, where it had originally sat. And in a flash of light she disappeared.

 

Raijin and Fujin fell back into motion with loud gasps, clutching their chests. Seifer looked at them in alarm, but Raijin just laughed shakily.

 

“Ya know, I never thought I'd be glad for Fuj choking me when I was being stupid,” said Raijin, rubbing his chest. “That was rough.”

 

Fujin nodded, looking pale. Seifer wondered if she'd ever been on the receiving end of one of her own vacuum spells.

 

“Did you hear what she said?” Seifer asked, making them nod.

 

“DON'T,” said Fujin, jerking her head at the helmet.

 

“I'm with Fuj,” said Raijin, getting to his feet. “Let's get outta here.”

 

But as soon as they said no, Seifer looked at the device. He forced himself to stay still. There was a high likelihood that this was a trap, but knowing the secrets of his past were so close by was torture. Did he look like his father more or his mother? Did he have siblings? The aching desire he'd always shoved far, far, far below his exterior, especially in the face of Fujin and Raijin's parental troubles, came clawing to the surface.

 

“...What about if I just looked for ten seconds?”

 

“NO.”

 

“Seifer, come on!”

 

Seifer sighed heavily. He shut his eyes hard, his hands clenching.

 

“Look...” said Raijin quietly. “Believe us, we know what a big deal this is to you. But—”

 

“But you don't,” said Seifer, looking at them. “You don't know what it's like, knowing nothing. _Nothing._ I have _no_ idea why my parents gave me up. Are they dead? Did they just drop me and run? Do they think about me ever? Were they horrible? Did I dodge a bullet, never knowing them?”

 

Seifer had never said any of this aloud before. He knew instinctively that Fujin and Raijin would never understand and they stared at him now, utterly confused. Seeing the two people he cared about and trusted most in the entire world not understanding something that was such a huge part of him made Seifer snap.

 

“Do you know how much it sucks to go down the street and think, 'you're tall like I am. Your hair's the same color as mine. Are you my family?' Or you go to the doctor and they ask, 'is there any history of heart disease or cancer in your family', and you just don't fucking know, _you **never** fucking know. _Is my birthday that was the real day I was born? For fuck's sake, is 'Seifer' even my real name? _”_

 

“Come on, man...” said Raijin, his face nevertheless creased in anguish. “Is... Is it really that important?”

 

“Your past is not as important as your future and your present,” said Fujin softly, her good eye shining with tears. “And we like the person you are.”

 

“Yeah?” Seifer retorted, his voice hollow. “...Well, I don't.”

 

He picked up the helmet. At once they shouted in alarm and lunged at him, but Seifer snapped, “Yank it off if I'm getting possessed,” and jammed it over his head.   
  


/\/\/\

 

a/n: The creatures in Ultimecia's windows are the bosses you fight around her castle. Every time one is defeated, the window shatters. It's a handy sort of alert system.

 

Created some new environments in Ultimecia's castle, because why not.

 

Thinking about how Ultimecia interacts with time makes my head hurt. Anything with her physically in it took a ton of rewrites and even now I'm still not sure if things make sense. She just had so _little_ to go on in the original game that I think I got more out of her in Dissidia than I did out of OGC. And even then it's not much. Bleah. I do love writing characters out of whole cloth, but that combined with flipping time travel just makes things a whole new kind of difficult.

 

Anyway, the next few chapters will be fairly Seifer-centric, mostly because we already know what the main cast is doing and don't need to follow them around. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	33. Chapter 33

15 June 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\

  
  


For a moment there was suffocating blackness and a crushingly disappointing nothing, but then Seifer's vision glowed green and he felt himself falling.

 

Falling far, far past the floor... Past the limits of fading memory and time...

 

And...

 

“Shh, shh, I'm sorry Sifr, I know it hurts, I'm sorry, my baby...”

 

“ _Sifr? Is that me?”_

 

The voice that had spoken was definitely a woman's. Seifer tried to force his eyes open but couldn't. Why?

 

“ _She called me a baby. Am I too young of a baby to open my eyes?”_

 

Bitterness and rage made him want to scream, and to his surprise he heard a wail. He was the one making it.

 

“ _I guess I really am a baby...”_

 

“This is only a temporary solution,” said an older female voice. “But God willing, it will be enough to let him pass for a normal human in the outside world.”

 

“He'll be the most normal baby ever,” said the first woman. She sounded young. Garden training had Seifer peg her voice at being somewhere in her mid-twenties. He became aware of being held by someone warm and soft, and the woman's voice was above his head. “Hopefully we'll be able to come back soon. He should know his father.”

 

“If his father lives.”

 

“Bite your tongue! Of course he will.”

 

“Zero al-Masi is one of the most stubborn men in his entire line,” said the older female voice dryly. “And many mistake that for bravery or intelligence. Including you, Dhuka.”

 

“ _Zero. Dhuka. My father and mother...”_

 

Dhuka sighed in great exasperation. Seifer recognized the noise well; he made it often. “Gramma, is this really the time?”

 

“It's never the time,” said Gramma. “And even when it was, you never listened.”

 

“I'm listening to you now, aren't I? Or am I _not_ getting on a boat and fleeing from my homeland on your say-so?”

 

“Oh? You'd rather take your baby into a war zone?”

 

“It's not war, Gramma, it's—”

 

“ **It's war,** ” said Gramma, the force in her voice making even Seifer flinch. “Adel has gone mad. The government is on _her_ side, never mind all our years of service. You hope for the best, but you don't live to my age without preparing for the worst. And even then sometimes it's not enough.”

 

Dhuka started to bounce Seifer slightly even though he wasn't crying anymore; he was listening too hard. Still, he could feel the unhappiness thrumming through his mother. He wanted to open his eyes so badly.

 

“He needs me,” said Dhuka softly. “You know how the bond works. We're always stronger together.”

 

“Zero was a very powerful warrior before he became your knight,” said the Grandmother, her voice tired but soothing. “He will be fine.”

 

“But what if he isn't? What if my presence makes the difference between victory and defeat?”

 

“Adel has eaten too many of our girls already,” said the Grandmother, shaking her head. “No few of them who were stronger and smarter than you.”

 

“But—”

 

“Would you leave your child an orphan, Dhuka?” Seifer felt dry, cool fingertips on his head. “A powerless orphan? He won't even have his fire lore.”

 

“All he has to do is take it off...”

 

“And if he loses it? He will be instantly exposed for what he is.” The cool touch disappeared from his head. “Dhuka, I know you have been a wife for a year, a mother for six months, and a sorceress for two weeks, but surely you must know how your priorities lie.”

 

“Gramma...”

 

“Get on the fucking boat, Dhuka. I'm not telling you twice.”

 

Dhuka gave a low, breathless sob. Seifer wanted to reach out. Fittingly, this was when he finally opened his eyes and saw his mother for the first time.

 

Dhuka was as pale as he was, her face handsome rather than typically beautiful. Her hair was a redder blonde than his and went down her back in waves that were both coppery and golden. He saw tears glimmering in eyes that were a deep purple that (even without their glowing inner lights) were brilliantly unnatural in color.

 

“ _My mother's a sorceress,”_ Seifer realized in shock. Hearing the words wasn't the same as seeing the proof. _“My father's a knight.”_

 

“Shh, shh, Sifr,” Dhuka whispered to him, touching his cheek. “Everything will be alright. Mommy promises everything will be alright...”

 

“Dhuka.”

 

“I know! I know!” Dhuka sighed heavily and turned away. “I just wish... Goodbye, Gramma.”

 

“Goodbye, my sweet girl.” The old woman's voice tightened. “Be safe.”

 

“You too.”

 

Darkness crept in preternaturally fast around the edges of Seifer's vision. Seifer realized with a surge of panic that he was coming out of the trance. Why? It was too soon.

 

“ _I haven't my father's face yet! What happened next? How did I become an orphan? How did I meet Edea and Cid? Why is it ending?”_

 

It felt like sand was slipping out from underneath his feet. Seifer blindly resisted, channeling his entire being into refusing the inevitable, until his vision started to lighten up. But as more light came into his eyes and details began to clarify, Seifer quickly realized he wasn't going to see much of anything.

 

Everything was on fire.

 

He heard shouts and screaming from somewhere he couldn't see, and only the realization that he had survived through this stopped Seifer from becoming completely overwhelmed by helpless anger. Instead he looked around. There was a weight on his left arm and when he looked (stupid _useless_ neck, he had to roll), Seifer saw the silver necklace he'd worn for so long wrapped around his arm four times, the plate lying flat and long on his forearm. Firelight glinted off the carved calligraphy that read his parents' vows to each other.

 

A crash made Seifer's skin prickle and Dhuka was suddenly in his sight. She looked pale and frightened underneath a cast of grim determination, and her eyes were brilliant purple lamps in her face. Scooping him up one-armed, Dhuka pointed at the wall of the boat and something like a purple laser blasted out of her palm. She ran for the hole and jumped. Seifer saw purple wings, as resplendent and rich as a peacock's, unfurl from his mother's shoulderblades as she fell into thin air.

 

The horror of the burning boat was soon behind them. It was otherwise a normal night over the ocean, utterly silent and pitch black except for the moon striking off the waves. Dhuka said nothing, so Seifer listened to her heartbeat and tried to put the pieces together.

 

“ _We're on a boat fleeing from Adel. My mother's a sorceress, but not one strong enough to oppose Adel. My father is a knight, but for some reason isn't with my mother, so he has to be fighting Adel. I really am Estharian..._

 

“ _Wait. Did they ever get back together? How did I end up in the orphanage?”_

 

The answer came as the ocean started to lighten with dawn and come closer and closer as Dhuka flagged. To conserve energy she began to swoop like a seabird, but it was too late. By the time a sliver of rocky shore came into sight, she was breathing hard and her clothing was soaked with sweat. Seifer pressed his head against her chest and silently willed more strength into her, concentrating on that to avoid thinking that this might be the end of his mother. He didn't know anything close to enough about her...

 

Dhuka hit the coast sometime around mid-morning. She landed in a long, clumsy roll that she nevertheless shielded Seifer from, curling as tightly around him as her exhausted body would allow. When they came to a stop, she panted and lay on the ground for a long time, just breathing. Seifer tried to look at her, but tilting his head back that far was too hard. Frustrated at his weakness in this time, Seifer scratched at her chest instead.

 

“Sorry, Sifr,” Dhuka whispered, easing her grip on him. “Sorry Mommy isn't better.”

 

“ _Mommy doesn't have to be better, Mommy just has to_ live.”

 

Dhuka slid Seifer onto his back on the ground, letting him see her face for the first time since the boat. In harsh daylight he saw that she was more than exhausted, she was  _depleted_ , with her skin a shade of gray that he'd only seen on corpses. Her purple eyes had none of their fire. She kissed him on the forehead and he felt her dry lips crack on his skin. At once a white light began to bloom over him and shield his vision. Dhuka sighed and lay back down, her hand on his stomach.

 

“ _No. No! Don't lie down! Don't give up! Mommy!”_

 

Seifer screamed and wept, but Dhuka did not move. She did not move for hours. Seifer exhausted himself with tears but refused to close his eyes, terrified that this would be the end. Instead he keened his senses for the fine tremble of blood in his mother's hand, counting the time in her faint pulse.

 

He almost didn't hear the footsteps.

 

“Oh no,” he heard someone say. “The poor things.”

 

“What is it, sweetie?” It was a man's voice. “...Oh. Gosh.”

 

More footsteps. Seifer turned and looked up at a pale woman with golden eyes and long black hair that she'd braided back in two long plaits. She was still wearing all black, but in sensible workaday leather that mirrored the outfit her male companion was wearing.

 

“ _Is this Matron? Is tha—”_

 

“Cid!” Edea exclaimed, her eyes widening. “The baby's still alive!”

 

“I guess we're putting it with all the others,” said Cid, coming over.

 

“Poor little man,” Edea said to Seifer, touching her hand to the white paling over him. It sucked into her palm immediately, making her eyes briefly flash purple. Then she looked at Dhuka and sighed.

 

“Little sister,” Edea whispered. “Can you hear me?”

 

Dhuka said nothing. When Seifer looked, he couldn't even see her breath move the dust around her mouth.

 

“ _Mommy...”_

 

“Is she gone?” Cid asked softly, coming into Seifer's field of vision. As a young man he was still plain-faced, but it was obvious to see that he was also tough and competent; the custom gunblade on his hip showed a lot of use.

 

“She put everything she had into that beacon,” said Edea heavily. When she touched Dhuka's hand, it was like touching dust; Dhuka fell apart without a trace, and in a moment that was nothing but her fire-blackened, bloodstained robe. Seifer cried and Edea picked him up at once, hugging him. Her leathers made her smell weird and she was not nearly as soft as Dhuka, but he felt more than a trace of his mother's protective love in her embrace.

 

“What would have happened if we hadn't come by?” Cid asked, tickling Seifer's hand with one rough fingertip. Seifer turned away from him. He wasn't ready to start this part of his life yet.

 

“Well, she couldn't have really died without me helping her...” Edea sighed. “So... More than likely... Someone would have found a beacon with a dead baby underneath.”

 

“Oh no.”

 

“Yes.” Edea hugged Seifer, nuzzling her cheek against his forehead. “Don't worry, little Seifer... Seifer Almasy. We'll take good care of you.”

 

Darkness started to creep in again, but Seifer screamed as it came for him.

 

“ _No! No! That's not it! That's not the end! I want to see my father! I want to see him! I need to go back further. Come on!”_

 

It was even more of an effort now, clawing his way through quicksand to not only stay in the past, but go back even further. Further. He knew the rough facts and surely there would have been time in at least the month prior when he would have interacted with his father. When he would have seen him just once.

 

“ _Zero al-Masi. I just need to see his face. Please, God, Hyne, whatever, I need to see what he looks like. This is my only chance, just let me see what he looks like...”_

 

Sullenly his vision lightened up, and the first thing Seifer heard was singing. It was not his mother's voice. It was a man's voice, and as the words took on significance Seifer realized the man was singing a dirty song. But very, very quietly. Seifer felt a swaying motion and realized he was being carried.

 

“Zero!” Seifer heard Dhuka screech.

 

“Don't blame me, blame the son who only calms down for 'Breasts Aplenty',” Zero shot back. “And he _just_ settled down. I swear he gets this from your side of the family.”

 

“He's set the rugs on fire _twice_ already, and it's _my_ family that makes him troublesome?”

 

“Don't listen to Mommy, Sifr,” said Zero in a stage whisper. “We'll get started on getting you a little brother or sister right away and Mommy will be not-crazy again once her uterus stops being alllll over the place.”

 

“My foot will be alllll up your ass, _dear husband_ , if you start telling him that foolishness from such an early age.”

 

Despite the antagonism in their words, Seifer only heard love between his parents, and when Dhuka came and took Seifer from Zero's arms, the man did not protest.

 

“And what even makes you think I want another baby?” Dhuka asked, her voice mock-severe.

 

“Because this one is obviously of my line,” he said, touching Seifer's forehead. Once again Seifer struggled to open his eyes. “And I'll never hear the end of it from your grandmother if we don't pop out another one for your clan.”

 

“If Gramma wants another girl for the Labdanum line, she can make one herself,” said Dhuka. After a moment, she said, “But ours will be much, much prettier.”

 

“Will be?” Zero asked, his voice dipping and warming with hope.

 

“...Oh no, none of that. No, Zero!” Dhuka started laughing, making Seifer shake. “Stop it! I am still holding the baby!”

 

“Then put him down.”

 

“Put _that_ down,” said Dhuka, making Seifer wonder exactly what his father was doing. Was now actually the best time to open his eyes?

 

“ _Is there ever going to be another opportunity?”_

 

Well, he wouldn't be the first child in the history of the world to see his parents doing something inappropriate. So Seifer concentrated on opening his eyes and seeing his father's face for the first and only time.

 

It was very, very bright. Seifer winced in the light until a hand shaded his eyes, and then a figure came into focus. The figure was a giant, and Seifer wasn't sure if that was because he himself was a baby or Zero al-Masi was just that tall.

 

“See, even little Sifr disapproves,” said Dhuka, her voice filled with mirth. “So keep your hands to yourself... Old man.”

 

“Speak for _your_ self, child bride,” said Zero in the same tone. As Seifer's sight adjusted, he saw that Zero was not only tall, but built along the same lines as Seifer himself with dense musculature over a long and broad-boned skeleton. His hair was shock white, which did make him look older, but even without the hair he was probably in his mid-to-late thirties, which put him at least ten years older than Dhuka in Seifer's estimation. Zero's face was a tanner, craggier version of the one that Seifer saw in the mirror every day, down to having a facial scar; Zero's, however, went over his right cheek, and was visibly more disfiguring with flesh that had healed an angry red-purple color. He would have looked terrifying to a small child if not for his easygoing smile and the tender look in his sea-green eyes.

 

“Little Sifr doesn't care if we have a healthy sex life, does he?” asked Zero to no one, tickling Seifer's cheek.

 

“ _Do people actually talk this way around babies when they think they don't understand?”_ Seifer wondered. 

 

“He will if we keep him up,” said Dhuka, bouncing Seifer a little in her arms. When Seifer glanced at her, he was surprised to see that her eyes were a light gray that were just barely purple and her hair was solidly red-blonde, not multitonal shimmering like he'd seen before. She was not a sorceress yet.

 

“That's your problem, habibi,” Zero said, making Dhuka laugh. “Just put the baby down and—”

 

“No! The baby is my chastity shield. It's the least he can do for being nearly ten pounds at birth.”

 

“ _Almost ten pounds!”_ Seifer didn't know much about babies, but he still knew that was huge. _“How heavy am I now? How old am I now?”_

 

A distant knock made his parents turn. “Dame Dhuka?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Fariba is here. It's time...”

 

“...oh.” Dhuka sighed. “Zero?”

 

“I'll take him,” said Zero, easing Seifer from her arms. To Seifer he said, “Say bye-bye to normal Mommy. When she comes back, she's going to be _sorceress_ Mommy. So you pee on her next time, okay?”

 

“Zero!” Dhuka laughed.

 

“Remember what I said, little man. She'll just poof it off. It'll be okay.”

 

“I'll poof it onto you.”

 

“Oh nooo,” said Zero, bouncing Seifer in his arms and putting a deliberately melodramatic tone in his voice. “Grow up fast, little Sifr. You have to save Daddy from Mommy. Otherwise Daddy's going to get beaten up every day. Every day!”

 

Dhuka laughed, but it was a lower, throatier chuckle that promised all sorts of interesting things for her husband. “You like it,” she said in a voice only for Zero's ears. Zero laughed back.

 

Darkness came back again, but this time no amount of struggle let Seifer remain in the past. As he unwillingly found himself dragged away from the answers he'd wanted his whole life, a part of him told him to be grateful that he knew something he hadn't known before. Something he never would have known otherwise, not without the aid of someone who could walk through time.

 

“ _No. I'm not grateful. I'm not happy. It's not enough. I need more answers... I need more time... I'd give anything for just a little more time...”_

 

In the present, Raijin paced while Fujin sat at Seifer's side. As soon as he'd put the helmet on, he'd collapsed bonelessly to the floor and no amount of yanking had even budged the stupid thing. On the other hand, he wasn't running around like a puppet, so they'd shoved all the egg-like pillows off the massive round bed and dragged him onto it. So far about thirty minutes had elapsed with no particular change, though Seifer made little noises and twitches in his induced coma. 

 

“We should just run,” said Raijin to Fujin. “Just pick him up and run. He'll come 'round eventually, right?”

 

“MAYBE,” said Fujin, her gaze on Seifer's face. She couldn't see much of it underneath the red beaklike portion of the mask, though she saw a gleam of tears along his eyelashes. What the fuck was he seeing? Fujin poked the mask again, sighing when all it did was pull Seifer's skin without really moving.

 

“Don't break his connection before he's ready,” said a female voice that made Fujin and Raijin instantly leap into battle positions. Ultimecia was back, leaning against her desk with her arms folded and her legs crossed at the ankle. 

 

“What the fuck'd you do to him?” Raijin demanded, his skin exploding with electricity.

 

“RETURN,” Fujin said harshly, her hair lifting in a tight cyclone that made the draperies around the bed snap and flutter. 

 

“Know to whom you speak, mongrels,” said Ultimecia, looking over them scornfully. “But if the Zodiac Brave does not know me, then I shouldn't be surprised that mere mutts do not.”

 

“Well, the Queen Bitch'd know, wouldn't she?” Raijin snapped, leveling his staff at her. “You keep the _fuck_ away from Seifer, lady! He's gone through enough, ya know?!”

 

“ENOUGH.”

 

Ultimecia rolled his eyes. “Weak powers and impure bloodlines both. You are of no interest to me... And truthfully, of no import to him. You know that you make him look better by extension, don't you?”

 

“SAME TO YOU,” said Fujin.

 

“Yeah! You only want him around for your own stupid purposes!” Raijin said, his eyes narrowing. “Well, guess what, lady? You're never laying hands on him again! NEVER!”

 

Ultimecia rolled her eyes and sighed. She flicked her fingers at Fujin and Raijin, and at once the world snapped into sickening pitch darkness. Raijin didn't even have time to yell before his back thudded against something hard... And horizontal.

 

“What the hell?” He demanded, sitting up. Something whacked him on the head so hard that his vision went black and as Raijin fell back clutching his aching head, his elbows hit something behind him. Feeling around with a growing panic, Raijin realized he was in a box. A sealed box.

 

“ _Oh no. No, no, no...”_

 

“You have overstayed your welcome,” whispered a female voice in his ear, making Raijin cry out with fear. “Let your body be just as buried and gone as your memory will soon be. It will be much easier to make the Brave mine when you two aren't distracting him.”

 

“No! No!” Raijin screamed as the thundering of dirt falling onto the box's lid penetrated his terrified brain.

 

“ _No,”_ thought Fujin, her one eye blazing. Taking a deep breath with all the strength her diaphragm and lungs could manage, Fujin exhaled slowly and continuously through her mouth and at the same time inhaled through her nose. A thin loop of air whistled out of the cracks in her coffin and slid through the shovelfuls of dirt as they cascaded onto her prison, crushing her into the earth. But she would not suffocate, not with her loop constantly bringing her fresh breath. It seemed to take ages before the sound of thundering dirt grew distant and then silent, but Fujin kept taking deep, strong breaths. Uninterrupted breaths. She was _not_ going to suffocate.

 

“ _I am getting out of here,”_ Fujin promised herself, her blood boiling with fury and repressed terror. _“I am getting out of here and I am_ killing _that red-robe witch if it's the last thing I do!”_

 

“Help me!” Raijin screamed, clawing at the roof of his coffin. His sensible mind told him to calm down, save his air, save his strength, but it drowned in a sea of pure panic. He had never been so helpless in his life. Never even come close between his physical strength and his power. Yet on some level, he had always known he would die like this, totally helpless, totally alone, with nothing but the void coming for him. Raijin blasted his power into the dead earth, feeling it drain away like his life blood. “Help me, somebody! Please!”

 

Hundreds and hundreds of feet away, in a totally different part of the castle, Seifer twitched his sleep. He groaned softly. And woke up.

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: That last bit with Fujin and Raijin getting stuck in the coffins was just added because otherwise it was just a really awkward transition that would have turned this otherwise 7-page chapter into like a 20-page monster, which is just unreasonable. Thematically, what follows is also rather different and I didn't want to dilute it in a bigger flow of things.

 

And no, Edea does not have Dhuka's memories. Dhuka was essentially already dead by the time Edea found her and while Edea absorbed the powers and the paling, all the information she got from Dhuka was about Seifer—his birthday and his name with the rest of the power meant to bring attention to him and sustain his life for as long as possible. That was all Dhuka could hold onto before she died. Edea pronounces his name wrong because she never learned Estharian.

 

While doing research into creating a credible past for Seifer, I naturally found the Seifer-Cipher connection and it thus seemed logical to call his father Zero, which is a reference not just to the number but also the Song Summoner, a little RPG that Squeenix released a while ago for the iPod. You can look into it more if you're interested, it's a fun little time-waster. Anyway, so we have Zero al-Masi, and al-Masi translates to 'made of diamond' in Arabic according to the stuff I've found, which makes sense because Seifer's Triple Triad card refines into Diamond Armors. Dhuka's name translates to 'sun', which is a subtle callback to Hyperion and Seifer's lifelong fondness for sun imagery and fire. Seifer's birth name, Sifr, is the original spelling of the word that later translated into English as 'zero', which makes sense considering the general mystery about his life and his fate in the original game. Interestingly, it originally means 'empty', which is also a peculiarly piercing statement about Seifer's current life, but emptiness is not really a bad thing. Just think about zen principles.

 

I also found that Esthar was supposed to represent the Byzantine Empire after Centra (Rome) split into the Holy Dollet (Roman) Empire and the Byzantine Empire, which was more technologically advanced, stable, and cut-off from the rest of the world. Therefore it seemed natural to me that Esthar would have more Arabic influences, which led me to doing a LOT of research into various Arabic things and words, let me tell you. It'll be more obvious in part 3, but one of the indicators here is when Zero calls Dhuka 'habibi', which is Arabic for 'my beloved'.

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 


	34. Chapter 34

17 June 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\

  
  


As he came back to the present, Seifer became aware of an oppressive amount of pressure on his head that rapidly becoming painful the more he came back into his real body. Swearing at the pain and the lost chances, Seifer reached up and yanked the time-traveling machine off his head, wincing as he scraped his ears and the thin skin over his temples bloody.

 

“Back so soon?”

 

Seifer whipped around to look at Ultimecia. The two of them were sitting on her massive nest-like bed, though all of the pillows were gone. The gauzy curtains that fell down around the round canopy were all drawn, making the hazy light remind Seifer of Edea's room in Galbadia Garden. Opposite him, Ultimecia was sitting with her legs drawn up to the side and Seifer's gaze immediately went to the huge long split in her robe that exposed almost all of her lower half. Despite everything that had happened and especially the fear that was rolling up his spine, he couldn't help but notice that she had really nice legs.

 

And from the whole lot of skin he could see down the long vee of her chest and torso, the rest of her was really nice too.

 

“Disappointed?” Seifer asked, focusing on her face. Except that was the scariest part of her, the part of her that was nothing but power and a depth of calculating sadism he couldn't begin to guess at.

 

“Curious,” she said. “Was it nice?”

 

“...why do you care?” He asked against his better judgment.

 

“Do you know what I see when I put that on?” Ultimecia asked, gesturing at the helmet lying forgotten on one side of the bed. “If I try to go back to my own past?”

 

“Nothing?” He suggested sarcastically. However, Ultimecia nodded.

 

“Nothing,” she said. “Nothing at all.”

 

“...how is that possible?” Seifer asked, compelled by terrible curiosity.

 

“I don't know,” said Ultimecia. Her eyes flicked to the sheets as she said, “Even if a Guardian Force feasts on every memory you had, you still existed. The world still reacted to you and recorded those traces in every vibration of its molecules. That is what the machine traces. But I...”

 

Ultimecia looked up at Seifer. “Was it nice?”

 

It might have been his imagination, but her voice sounded almost wistful.

 

“...yeah,” he said softly.

 

Seifer was unsettled. He was still afraid of Ultimecia on a deep and visceral level, remembering how her touch could turn him inside out. However, the look of melacholy on her face was one he'd worn many times, and even his jaunt into the past wouldn't magically fill the hole.

 

“Why me?” He asked her.

 

“Do you know who the first Sorceress's Knight was?” She asked, seemingly not paying attention to him. Seifer's automatic irritation flared and then guttered out; there was no point in being angry with a sorceress who had the strangest, most absolute command over time and space.

 

“He's just... The Knight,” said Seifer with a shrug. He'd thought about the same subject before, mostly because there was no answer. He didn't even know the name of the first after-Hyne Sorceress, who like her knight was simply referred to by title.

 

Ultimecia shook her head. “That was what he was called later. In the beginning, he was simply... Sarah's little brother. Her twin brother. Cid.”

 

She sighed heavily as Seifer's brows rose. “That is what the bond is supposed to be. Intensely close. They were complements to each other. Her power was great, but her mind was fragile. Cid was her support. He protected her as she came into the understanding of her power. And in return she gave him strength and life.”

 

“Life?”

 

“You know a little of what I speak,” said Ultimecia, looking at him. Seifer felt the hole in his chest burn and his lips seemed to become hot. As he unconsciously touched his mouth, Ultimecia said, “The Zodiac Braves were descended of Cid's blood. Sarah's power and pedigree spread out over the entire world, but only her brother's blood could create True Knights that would stay with their sorceresses forever. And in my time... All of them are dead.”

 

Seifer stared at Ultimecia. Slowly, what she had been talking around seemed to trickle through his head, and when it finally coalesced into a thought that he understood, Seifer nearly laughed. It had to be a trick, right? And a cheap one. The big bad sorceress at the end of the world was lonely?

 

“ _And she wanted me around so she wouldn't be by herself?”_

 

It should have been trite and ridiculous. He should have laughed. Except the ache in his chest instead wanted to make him reach out and say he understood. Hadn't he put himself in harm's way for just a bit of his past? Hadn't he burned down the world for a promise of never being alone?

 

“What about Time Compression?” Seifer asked her instead. Ultimecia's lips tipped upward in a humorless smile, but there was a knowing look in her eye now that made Seifer shiver. Somehow she had recognized who he was.

 

“What about it?”

 

“You're ending all of existence, aren't you?”

 

“Who told you that?”

 

“Rinoa.”

 

“And what makes her the expert on time manipulation?”

 

“I...” Seifer hesitated. Put that way, he had no idea. But he'd felt Rinoa was speaking the truth back then, honestly and deeply.

 

“I find nothing of myself with this device,” said Ultimecia, putting the helmet on the bed. “Which either tells me that I do not exist or that for some reason, my existence is inaccessible. I have gone back far and researched much, but there is still a sliver of time that I have yet to touch. And as I've searched for traces of me in literally every other time, they _must_ be where I cannot reach. Otherwise...”

 

For no good reason, Seifer found himself thinking of old stories.

 

“ _Hyne gave away half his body to the people and ran away with the half that had stronger magic. And no matter how hard people searched for him, they never found him. He might be close by. Watching you.”_

 

No way, he thought, but wouldn't it make sense? Ultimecia couldn't find herself because she was everywhere, she _always_ existed. Just...incomplete. Half a body.

 

“ _Is that what she is? Is that why I fall to my knees when she touches me?”_

 

“Why am I actually here?” Seifer asked when Ultimecia said nothing for several long moments.

 

“Because I'm curious,” said Ultimecia, her golden eyes glowing. “You have the potential to transcend your humanity, but the question is, will you?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Ultimecia's lips curled with amusement and contempt. “Humanity is weak,” said Ultimecia, dragging her clawed hand across the satin sheets. The thick fabric pulled and rippled like water under her touch. “Short-lived. Foolish. Fragile. Do you not tire of such beings?”

 

“You're talking like I'm not human myself,” said Seifer, making Ultimecia glare at him a little.

 

“You are _more_ than human,” she said, pointing at him. “You are the son of knights. By right of blood, you wield fire as your personal weapon. And I can give you so much more than any earthly goal...”

 

Seifer had to look away. At first he felt like he was being sucked in by her words, but even when he broke eye contact and tried to settle himself, he still felt a pull in his soul. And against his better judgment, Seifer asked, “What do you mean?”

 

“I can teach you more about your fire lore than you ever imagined,” said Ultimecia, holding up her hand and catching Seifer's eye when five flames appeared above her clawed fingertips, each a different color and temperature. Instinctively he realized the control necessary for such an action and felt envy mix with a slow rise of excitement—he wanted to learn how to do that.

 

“I can give you your past back,” said Ultimecia, making Seifer look at her fully. “Every memory you've forgotten and the lives your parents... How they met, how they loved, the people they knew. I can give you your family, who have otherwise been lost to death and time.”

 

Seifer swallowed hard. The glimpses of Dhuka and Zero... The happy life they'd had, even in extraordinary times... And there was a Gramma he'd never seen, along with so many other relatives. A whole life he'd never had the opportunity to have, and Ultimecia was offering it to him.

 

“Become my knight in full and our bond will give you more power than you ever imagined,” said Ultimecia, making a shiver go over Seifer's skin as he remembered the all-encompassing pain of her burning kiss, the impossible existence of her castle. “Power enough to destroy entire worlds should you wish it. Nothing will ever stand in your way again.”

 

“What's the catch?” Seifer asked, forcing his mind to stay clear. He'd had enough of hallucinations and dreams for a lifetime.

 

“No catch. All you have to do is agree,” said Ultimecia, smiling slowly.

 

“Why?” Seifer unconsciously clutched his arms, his skin drawing tight with the memory of diamond-sharp claws all over his naked body, assuring his obedience with blood and sorcery. “Why can't you just _make_ me?”

 

“Because the bond is imperfect without trust,” said Ultimecia. She held her hand out to him, her voice soft and inviting as she said, “Trust me and you will never be alone again.”

 

“ _But I've never been alone,”_ Seifer realized, the faces of his old family and Fujin and Raijin flickering before his eyes. His parents too, their love in the silver necklace he'd worn always. The only time he'd ever been alone was when he'd followed Edea as her knight, never knowing that this sorceress was the one hiding within. The bitterly ironic thing was that if Ultimecia had approached him like this in the past, speaking honestly and offering what she did, he would have taken her up on it without a second thought. But he couldn't do it now, not after being dragged through blood and blades and magic as an mindless puppet. Not when he'd seen how she really behaved when she wanted something and how easily she'd toss him aside. Ultimecia couldn't ask for his trust after abusing him so badly. Wordlessly Seifer shook his head, making Ultimecia's eyes flare slightly. For a moment she looked annoyed. 

 

And then she chuckled and gave him a sort of _look_ that made Seifer wonder just exactly when the last time Ultimecia had had any 'company' over.

 

Seifer backed up, sliding over the bloodred silk sheets, as Ultimecia rolled onto her hands and knees and approached him. He was instantly reminded of Quistis when she hadn't been herself, but this was no curious kitty-cat approaching. This was a hungry tigress and the look in her eyes said that she was either going to eat him or fuck him. He could not say what was the more terrifying option because in either case, Seifer instinctively knew his sense of self was going to be completely obliterated. He was only eighteen and Ultimecia was older and more powerful than he could ever imagine.

 

“Take as much time as you like,” she said, placing her hand on his knee. Seifer felt the points of her claws dig into his leg as she put her other hand on his thigh. “I have all eternity to make you come around of your own free will.”

 

“If my free will's that important, then I _will_ you to get off me,” said Seifer harshly. His voice very nearly cracked; he was up against the wall and short of jumping over Ultimecia and running for it, there was no escape. He could feel tendrils of her power slithering out from her hands like snakes, curling in a possessive way over his body, and the utter lack of consideration made him tremble with fear. And it _was_ fear, a force just as primal as the biological urge she was trying and failing to stir.

 

“No,” said Ultimecia, her eyes glowing. Shit. She was into this. She liked when he resisted. But there was no guarantee that lying down and thinking of Balamb would end any better for him. Without meaning to, Seifer thought about the first time a predatory older woman had shown interest in him... A female SeeD when he'd been fourteen, tall for his age and usually mistaken for sixteen or older. She'd talked him into an empty room under the guise of giving him advice on passing the field exam, and for a moment it was like he was back in that empty locker room. Confused, steadily becoming more frightened as she pushed him against the wall and touched him and told this was what all men wanted... And didn't he want to be a man?

 

Back then, Fujin and Raijin had come into the room and made obnoxious teens of themselves until the SeeD had lost interest and stalked off, disgusted by their apparent childishness. They didn't talk about it beyond writing a note and sticking it under the Headmaster's door, and that SeeD had disappeared very shortly after. Dead or transferred, Seifer didn't know or care. He had almost forgotten the entire incident since the clothes hadn't come off, but clearly something of his brain still remembered and feared the experience. Now as an eighteen-year-old, the sight of Ultimecia so close when he didn't want her seemed to lock up his entire body with a rabbit's trembling desire to be ignored. It was all the more confusing for knowing that this was not how he was supposed to react. He was older now, way stronger, confident in what he liked and didn't like. He should be fighting back, shouldn't he?

 

“There is no point in resisting,” Ultimecia told him, sliding one leg between his as she reached up and put her hand on Seifer's stomach. Her black wings fanned around them in a loose but large circle, cutting off more avenues of escape. Seifer's desire to escape became a need. He did not want to be here, in this room, with this inhuman woman. “Why do you cling to this vainglorious sense of self?”

 

“It's all I have,” he said, pressing himself against the wall.

 

“But it's not enough, is it? Otherwise, you would have resisted harder when I called you to me. You would have said 'no' when it actually mattered.”

 

Seifer saw Ultimecia's eyes glow and at once the marks she had drawn all over him with Edea's claws seemed to blaze to burning life, incinerating his cry of pain before he could even make it.

 

“It is a foregone conclusion, my knight,” said Ultimecia as Seifer gritted his teeth. “At some point in time in your past, in my future, you are already mine. So why the dance? Submit to me now and avoid this unpleasantness. Besides...”

 

Ultimecia was very close now, but it wasn't her presence that kept Seifer frozen in place. The peerless sorceress leaned very close to Seifer, her lips almost brushing his, and whispered, “Did you think changing your mind _now_ would let you go back home?”

 

Seifer inhaled shakily, not entirely due to pain. Something in his chest felt like it was cracking, leaking fear like smoke.

 

“Oh...” He could hear her smile as her eyes glowed with recognition. “You already know there's nowhere to go back to. You have done too much. You have hurt too many. Nobody would welcome you... Ever.”

 

“ _Quistis would,”_ thought Seifer, but at once doubt hit him like a thunderbolt. Even if she welcomed him back, what would that do to her? He was a killer now, a mad dog. If she stood with him, they would both be put down... Probably by her friends. And she had always been so ready to kill him... He knew why, but it still hurt. 

 

“ _Matron would,”_ thought Seifer, but no. No, she couldn't. For all the same reasons that Quistis would be killed, plus others; she was the public face of everything that had gone wrong with the world as much as he was, and besides, how could he look at her? The woman had given up her body and soul to protect them from Ultimecia and _he had thrown his lot in with her._ Could she ever look at him again with anything other than disappointment? Or disgust? 

 

“You've burnt your past,” Ultimecia breathed, her voice seeming to invade his brain like smoke. He was only barely aware of her long claws sliding down his cheek, down his neck and chest, and down to his belt buckle. “You have no future. Stay here with me and be my knight for eternity.”

 

“No.”

 

Ultimecia's eyes flashed. “No?” She repeated, drawing back and sounding distinctly annoyed.

 

“No,” Seifer said, shaking his head. It cost him to say no; he could feel his chest burning and suddenly wondered if Ultimecia could un-heal him for his disobedience. Well, fuck it then. So be it. “I am not your knight, true or otherwise. Ever.”

 

Claws dragged over the lower half of his shirt and pricked the narrow margin of skin between the hem and his belt. Seifer tensed, anticipating another sharp scratch across his low abdomen.

 

“Get off me,” He gritted out, clenching his hands into fists. He might have to hit her and had no idea how well that would work out for him in this setting. “I don't want you.”

 

“Then why aren't you running?” She taunted scornfully.

 

Fear and adrenaline running in his blood made him snappish. “Because you'd hunt me down and kill me for the fun of it, wouldn't you?”

 

Ultimecia laughed. “Such a game you suggest!”

 

A game? Seifer did not think of himself as a gambling man, but this was going to be the best chance he ever go to escape with his virtue and his sanity intact.

 

“Wait 'til you hear the details,” said Seifer quickly, making Ultimecia look at him with renewed interest. “It's like hide and seek. Thirty minutes to run, oh... Anywhere. Whoever finds the other one first can do whatever they want to the other for five minutes.”

 

“With a caveat,” said Ultimecia, her eyes nevertheless glowing with interest. “Nonlethal, noncrippling commands only. And after the five minutes, the roles are versed. The game is lost by default if one leaves the grounds.”

 

Seifer hesitated. So much for his plan to try and run... And if things came down to it, to fight Ultimecia. He was finally back in his own head after a month and it wasn't as awesome as he remembered, but it was clear and it was _his._ What the fuck was the point of an immortal life and infinite power without free will?

 

“ _I shot up on dreams and power once, but I'm not going to die for them.”_

 

“That does sound interesting,” said Seifer, keeping his voice light. “And... What happens if someone breaks the terms of the game?”

 

“Death,” said Ultimecia without hesitation.

 

“...Fair enough.”

 

Ultimecia laughed and then finally got off him, leaning back on her side in a way that would have made him reach for her had she been any other woman in the world. Especially with the tantalizing more-than-glimpses he had of her body, which was aesthetically very pleasing. But she'd already shown her fangs and Seifer had no desire to leap into the tiger's mouth. He could have just gotten that over with Quistis.

 

Ultimecia snapped her fingers and instantly the setting blurred. Seifer fell off the plush bed and found himself in an area that was the exact opposite of the opulent bedroom he'd just been in. It was dark, damp, filthy, and a literal dungeon in every sense of the word. Seifer's lip curled as he wondered if Ultimecia had dropped him here on purpose.

 

“ _Trying to give me a look at my fate if I don't obey you, huh?”_

 

Fine. Seifer got to his feet and brushed off his tattered coat. He looked around and saw a rusted gate that seemed to be the way out.

 

“ _I gotta find Fujin and Raijin,”_ thought Seifer as he started to move. _“They weren't in her room with me, so they're either dead or trapped somewhere. I wouldn't be surprised if she kept them alive just to screw with me later. If I find them and free them, I'm set; they don't have to obey the nonlethal part.”_

 

A quick check of his inventory made him curse: Hyperion was gone. It was probably still up in her goddamned bedchamber. Experimentally Seifer pulled his fire lore from one hand and then the other, but his head still buzzed with the effort. Well...better than nothing. And it would be pretty handy to sling fireballs on the fly.

 

Seifer exited the dungeon, thinking about where Ultimecia might be and where the exit might be in equal measure. In any case, she had wings and he needed to see, so it would be best to get up high. It was a mixed blessing that he'd lost a certain amount of weight, but still a tight squeeze to get through the second iron gate that blocked off the dungeon. When Seifer came out, he looked around and saw white light shining in a courtyard off to his right. Seifer walked out and frowned at the sight of the massive Abyss Worm slithering back into the ground. It looked large enough to eat him, Fujin, and Raijin all at the same time.

 

“ _Yeah... No.”_

 

Shuffling his feet over the ground so the Abyss Worm wouldn't sense the vibrations (he hoped), Seifer went to the nearest column and climbed up it, which put him on the outside of a massive building. His internal clock told him that about ten minutes had passed when he reached the top and looked around.

 

“Ah, fuck,” Seifer muttered as he looked around. Wreathed in moonlight though it was, he recognized where he was very well; it was the Cape of Good Hope around the old orphanage, and Ultimecia's castle was moored to the steps where he and his friends had used to come down to the beach. In the distance, the horizon cut off sharply against walls of coruscating light, making it look like they were floating in the sole island of existence. Beyond that, Seifer couldn't see. He could literally not look at what lay beyond that strange cut-off horizon without getting dizzy and nearly falling off the building. Instead Seifer looked down at the beach where years ago and not too long ago, he'd played a silly little game called Wizard Battle with his friends...

 

Wait, friends?

 

“ _I have a perfectly nice family right here...”_

 

“Nope,” Seifer said aloud, climbing back down the building. Ultimecia was probably swooping around and there was no point in making himself an easy target. He needed to focus. Where would Fujin and Raijin be? They weren't in the dungeon and keeping Fujin anywhere up high would be stupid.

 

The unpleasant possibility that they might be in different locations made Seifer frown.

 

Climbing down the building, Seifer ran along the top of the arches along the courtyard before voices made him freeze. He looked down and saw the doors open.

 

“And yet another conflicting architectural style,” said Quistis dryly as she walked in, whip at the ready. Seifer gasped softly at the sight of her. She looked completely normal now, but he could see the traces of felinity in her precise walk and the way she looked around the courtyard was a combination of highly trained operative and hunting cat. But more than that, the sight of her sunny blonde hair and sharp blue eyes seemed to pierce the veil that still lay over his memories of the past month. The longer he looked at her, all his interactions with her rose to the forefront of his memories like bubbles out of deep water, but instead of carrying life and relief the memories made Seifer flush with shame; the things he'd done, the words he'd said. Seifer's hands seemed to cramp as he remembered throttling her and trying to convince himself he was doing the right thing as he stared into her dying blue eyes.

 

“ _She's never lied to me when it mattered... She always told me the truth even when it hurt.”_

 

Behind Quistis were Selphie and Irvine, whom Seifer almost dismissed as literal background elements.

 

“I think it's sweet,” said Selphie, looking around with interest. “If _I_ was an evil sorceress, I'd totally make a house of whatever I liked.”

 

“So it'd all be made of candy,” said Irvine with an easy smile. Seifer instantly noticed how his gaze was warm and friendly only for Selphie, as well as how Quistis looked just a trifle annoyed and sad at the sound of his voice. Seifer cocked his head. What did that mean?

 

“But candy melts,” said Selphie, pursing her lips. “...So maybe just the inside doors.”

 

As they walked into the courtyard, Seifer belatedly remembered the Abyss Worm and almost called out a warning, but stopped. Quistis might give him the time of day still, but the others? No way. In fact, if he drew attention to himself even with a warning, they'd fixate entirely on him and leave themselves exposed for the monster. So Seifer waited. He knew he should be running, the clock was still ticking down, but...

 

“ _It's that old sentimentality again... Oh, Quistis. I'm so sorry about everything. But I don't think you'd believe me if I told you right now... Not that I blame you.”_

 

And it was probably best to leave things like that. If Ultimecia caught him, Quistis would be facing him again as a mindless drone. And if Seifer caught Ultimecia first and killed her, he'd have something solid backing up the biggest apology in the entire world. Sighing softly, Seifer moved on.

 

Quistis hand-signaled a stop and Selphie and Irvine froze. They scanned the area carefully, weapons at the ready. Another small noise made Quistis turn sharply, but it was only a loose roof tile.

 

“At ease,” she said, dropping her hand to rub her ear.

 

“What's wrong?” Irvine asked.

 

“There's always some blue magic residue left over, but it's sticking around longer this time,” she said.

 

“Probably because you turned into a cat,” said Selphie helpfully.

 

Quistis sighed. It was a rare side effect of blue magic, though most blue mages who submitted to transformation did not fare well—in fact, the majority did not come back. Humans were so badly in touch with their own instincts that it was easy for them to become overwhelmed by a monster's, but Quistis had nipped that in the bud by using her magic for very short bursts and only in times of extreme crisis.

 

But...

 

_She had found the center of that delicious smell, though the body it was coming from was not correct. Up close, the scent she wanted was tinged with burning metal, something very bitter, and something like dusty feathers that made her hackles rise. But then he talked softly and posed no threat, so she decided to come closer. He smelled_ wonderful,  _making her want to stretch out and expose every bit of her skin to his sunlight. The soft and unprotected skin of his neck and cheek were so warm, sending a shiver down her spine as she remembered how hot the rest of him was without fabric in the way. But her efforts to come close seemed to annoy him until he finally gave up and held her tight. The sight of his sea-green eyes made her finally remember who he was and everything that had happened, but the miniature rays of the sun ringing his pupils made her realize what he had become. And how far away he really was._

 

The dismay and the anguish was what had brought her back, because animals and monsters did not regret and mourn in that way. Quistis wondered when she'd finally start thinking of Seifer as just 'that man I loved for a while' and not this complicated knot of distracting emotions that had kept trying to kill her and kiss her.

 

“ _I wonder if he's here...”_ Quistis found herself thinking before giving herself a mental slap. There was no reason to expect Seifer would be here. They were in Ultimecia's world now and there was no reason to expect that she wouldn't happily do her own dirty work.

 

“I wonder if you can turn into the other things you ate,” said Selphie. Thank Hyne for Selphie, she was always good for a distraction.

 

“Probably,” said Quistis. “But all the same, I'd prefer not to become a Gesper or a Caterchipillar.”

 

“You'd look super cool with Ruby Dragon wings, though,” said Irvine. Selphie ooh'ed.

 

“I can't control what parts come out,” said Quistis with a light laugh.

 

“But if you could, though...”

 

“Then Ruby Dragon wings would be pretty nice,” said Quistis, looking up at the dark sky. “If nothing else, I could get an aerial view of this place and figure out where Ultimecia might be.”

 

“She's in the top,” said Selphie matter-of-factly. When Irvine and Quistis looked at her, Selphie rolled her eyes and said, “Where would she be? She's the big baddie at the final battle, of _course_ she's going to be in the most annoying place to get to.”

 

Irvine shrugged and grinned at Quistis. “She makes a good point.”

 

“Well, let's hope everyone else has the same idea,” sighed Quistis.

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: Not much to say about this chapter, aside from hoping that I communicated a certain amount of discomfort and terror on Seifer's part in the beginning. Anyone who thinks that men can't be sexually assaulted by women needs to get a slap upside the head. Men don't suffer the same way women do, but that doesn't mean they don't suffer.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	35. Chapter 35

19 June 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\

  
  


Ultimecia's castle was a cluster of differing time periods and aesthetics that was nevertheless deeply fascinating. Rinoa found it hard to keep from looking around as she, Squall, and Zell walked through the monster-infested rooms and ruins.

 

“I wonder if she has to fight monsters when she's wandering around,” Rinoa wondered aloud.

 

“I bet they run like hell when she comes around,” said Zell, shadowboxing for emphasis.

 

Squall just grunted. As they walked into a gallery full of beautiful paintings, the door on the opposite side swung open and Seifer stepped through. Everyone froze.

 

“Ah, fuck,” said Seifer, his gaze flattening. The first place everyone looked was at his right hand, which was empty.

 

“Where's your gunblade?” Squall asked.

 

“Probably in the bitch's bedroom.”

 

Everyone leaned just a bit away at that, which made Seifer flush dark red and shout, “Shut up! It's a long story. Now get outta my way, she's... Wait.”

 

“What?” Squall asked warily.

 

Seifer pointed at them. “You wanna kill her, right?”

 

Squall nodded slowly while Zell and Rinoa exchanged wary glances.

 

“Perfect,” said Seifer, rubbing his hands together. Tattered coat and thinness aside, he seemed much more the boy they all remembered from their entire lives before. “She's hunting me. There's ten minutes left on the clock. I can't kill her, but you can, so—”

 

“Wait, wait, wait,” cried Rinoa, holding her hands up. Seifer glanced at her. “You want us to _kill_ your sorceress?”

 

“She's not _my_ sorceress, and yeah, I do.” Seifer snapped, glaring. “I woulda done it with Fujin and Raijin, except I have no idea where she's put them. You'll do.”

 

“No,” said Squall, making Seifer glare at him. “She's sealed our powers.”

 

“What powers?” Seifer demanded.

 

“We can't access crisis powers, we can't summon GF's, items just keep dropping out of our hands...” Rinoa began listing but Seifer cut her off with an impatient slash of the hand.

 

“What _can_ you do?”

 

“Cast magic,” said Zell.

 

“And bring people back from near-death,” said Squall.

 

Seifer started turning red. Everyone tensed, preparing for an attack as flames started boiling up his arms, but Seifer instead shouted, “Then what the fuck good are you!?” and stormed out the way he came, leaving a smell of slightly scorched wood and burnt leaves.

 

“That was weird,” said Zell after several beats of silence.

 

“Yeah...” said Rinoa slowly. She looked at Squall. “I think... You know him best. He seemed normal to me, but...”

 

“...We can't worry about that now,” said Squall, shaking his head. “Let's just work on getting our powers uns—”

 

Seifer ran back in, face pale and blue-green eyes ablaze with inner light. At once everyone tensed but Seifer completely ignored them. He looked around rapidly and then dashed for the stairs leading to the upper part of the gallery. At once light flashed in front of him and he nearly fell backwards with a yell, but at the last second (and very impressively for a man of his long, tall frame), Seifer managed to somersault and land on his feet at the foot of the steps. Instinctively Squall, Rinoa, and Zell tensed up at the sight of the stunningly beautiful woman standing in the middle of the stairs.

 

“And now as per the rules of the game,” said the Sorceress, walking down the steps with her eyes on Seifer. “You do my bidding for five minutes.”

 

Squall and Zell were staring at the sorceress, but Rinoa was looking at Seifer. He was rigid, pale—terrified. And he couldn't look away from the Sorceress, like a mouse before a snake. Rinoa blindly reached out, the nascent powers inside her rushing to the surface of her skin, and abruptly Seifer disappeared.

 

“What?!” Ultimecia stared at the spot he'd just been in, which was empty except for a few white feathers. Swiftly she looked at Rinoa, who jumped, and immediately Squall and Zell placed themselves before her. “Ah... A fledgling sorceress. You could have not chosen a more irritating way to present yourself before your elder sister.”

 

“Retreat on three,” Squall muttered to Zell and Rinoa.

 

“Do you think you've saved him?” Ultimecia asked of Rinoa, gesturing at the place Seifer had been.

 

“One,” Squall said softly.

 

“I have all eternity to make him truly mine.”

 

“Two.”

 

“I _was_ planning on presenting you intruders with a True Knight, but...”

 

“Three,” said Squall, and instantly they ran, not bothering to hear the rest of Ultimecia's speech.

 

“You little wretches!” They heard Ultimecia shouting behind them. Zell started giggling.

 

“I think she's mad,” he quipped.

 

“What gave it away?” Rinoa asked innocently.

 

“Fountain,” said Squall as they felt an ominous surge of power behind them.

 

“Better idea,” said Rinoa, clapping her hands. At once the world exploded into white feathers and reformed into the far hall of the castle, which was dark and decorated suits of armor.

 

“You're getting really good at that,” said Zell once they looked around and didn't see a furious sorceress anywhere.

 

“Thanks!”

 

“Where'd you send Seifer?” Squall asked Rinoa.

 

“Well, he said he was looking for Fujin and Raijin...” She said, shrugging. “So I poofed him to where they were.”

 

“Where's that?”

 

“I don't know.”

 

“Then how—”

 

Rinoa touched her head. “It's, umm... Well, they have a strong personal connection. So I hooked him onto that and yanked, sort of.”

 

“Can you tell where he is now?”

 

“I could...” said Rinoa slowly, looking at Squall. “But why?”

 

“I'm just wondering how fast Ultimecia could find him,” said Squall, making Rinoa and Zell nod somberly. “And that thing she said about a True Knight...”

 

“Oh! Yeah!” Zell jumped up and down a little. “Hey, guess what? We found Seifer's family!”

 

“What?” Rinoa exclaimed. Squall stared at Zell speechlessly.

 

“And guess what even more? They're all Sorceress's Knights! Every single one!” He paused. “Except they're all dead. Adel killed them all. Except Seifer and maybe an old woman.”

 

“That... Is interesting,” said Squall slowly. “But that doesn't give us any pertinent information.”

 

“Well, hold on,” said Rinoa, touching her head as Zell sagged. Her eyes narrowed as she consulted Adel's memories. It was like reading a very detailed book, and while the recorded experiences made her shiver, there was simply no force behind them; Adel, in any capacity to hurt or harm Rinoa, was dead. Rinoa examined Adel's memories about 'True Knights'.

 

“Adel did kill every Zodiac Brave she could get her hand on,” said Rinoa. “Because... Oh. I see. The Zodiac Braves were a bunch of families that always spawned Sorceresses and Knights, to the point where nearly every girl was a sorceress or at least had the potential, and all the boys became knights. Something about the bond between Sorceress and Knight creates a... A... Oh, a synergystic effect.”

 

“A what?” Of course that was Zell.

 

“They're stronger together,” said Squall, looking at Rinoa closely. Rinoa nodded.

 

“Much, much stronger together,” she said. “Especially if they have elemental powers like fire or thunder or ice. And all the sorceresses in the Zodiac Brave family were definitely a match for Adel, _if_ they fought together _and_ had True Knights. So Adel killed all the boys and absorbed the powers from the girls to make herself stronger.”

 

“That explains how she came to power so fast,” said Squall, folding his arms and looking off to the side. “And why we couldn't put Seifer down no matter how hard we tried.”

 

“I just figured we were all pulling our punches,” said Zell, making Squall and Rinoa look at him in surprise. Zell tensed up a little. “What? I think all of us knew he wasn't right. He was actually starting to be kinda friendly before all this went down, and I hated the guy.”

 

Squall didn't know what to say to that. On the other hand, a lifetime of teasing and getting beat up for no good reason automatically put him on edge, but it was true that Seifer had always acted like a really mean, emotionally stunted older brother more than anything else. Even the scar on Squall's face had been an accident.

 

“ _You buttoned it wrong.”_

 

“ _What?”_

 

“ _Your shirt. That's why your uniform isn't lying flat. Come here.”_

 

There were other instances of Seifer's strange, brusque kindness too. When Squall's birthday came around, Seifer would give him birthday noogies, but he was the only one who even remembered the day. As many times as Seifer had put Squall in the infirmary, he was the only one who would come around to visit. And there were so many instances of backhanded encouragement and praise...

 

“Anyway, that's probably why Ultimecia wants Seifer,” said Rinoa, making both boys look at her. “Even with her strength, if she has a True Knight, she'll be even stronger than she is already. Plus some mental communication stuff and power transference... It's complicated and weird.”

 

“What exactly is a True Knight?” Zell asked her. “Is it just genetics?”

 

Rinoa searched Adel's memories. “No... It's more complicated. Genetics is a good scaffold, but it needs to be like the bond between really good friends... Or siblings... Or lovers.”

 

Zell pretended not to notice when Rinoa and Squall glanced at each other and quickly looked away, their cheeks turning pink.

 

“So Adel didn't have a True Knight, then,” said Zell, making Rinoa blink at him. “Did she? We heard she killed hers.”

 

“...Alberich,” said Rinoa, nodding. Her eyes narrowed a little and then suddenly widened. “Oh no...”

 

“What?” Zell asked, worried.

 

Rinoa put her hands over her mouth, her eyes huge. “When Ellone sent me and Ultimecia to the past... She had to stick us inside another sorceress.”

 

“She stuck you inside Adel?” Zell asked incredulously.

 

Rinoa nodded slowly. “She did. And Ultimecia was so angry... She lashed out. Adel wasn't expecting it. And... She killed Alberich.”

 

“Ultimecia killed Alberich,” Squall repeated, just be sure.

 

“Yeah...” Rinoa shuddered. “And when Ultimecia's mind snapped back here into the future, Adel realized what had happened and... She sort of lost of her mind. They were really, really good friends. He was the only one who wasn't scared of her on sight. She just... She wanted to stop herself from getting possessed before it ever happened. That's why she wanted so much power. That's why she was looking for Ellone. She was looking for a girl with a talent of traveling into the past.”

 

“I thought she was looking for a successor,” said Squall, frowning.

 

“That's what she told everyone,” said Rinoa, shaking her head. “It was easier for people to swallow. No one thought she was capable of regret... And after a while, the part she played just sort of... Took over. Because she realized that the past couldn't be changed...”

 

Silence fell over the group. They of course all remembered how terrifying Adel had been, how merciless and strong. But...

 

“Man,” said Zell, shaking his head. “Fuck Ultimecia.”

 

That startled a laugh out of Rinoa and made Squall jump a bit, but they nodded in agreement.

 

“ _Yeah... Fuck Ultimecia.”_

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: I misread some Ultimania notes a while ago when it said that Ultimecia had taken control of Adel, so for ages I thought Ultimecia had turned Adel into an evil dictator. Even when I reread the notes, the headcanon still stuck.

 

Alberich was short, kind of pudgy, and an all-around really nice guy. Adel was very used to being feared and respected rather than liked even from a young age, so this happy pudding of a guy was the best thing in her life. Accidentally killing him reinforced all the whispered rumors of her being a misshapen monster she'd heard her entire life and she had an incredibly bad “No Good Deed” negative-epiphany, if you're familiar with Wicked at all.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	36. Chapter 36

21 June 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\

 

Cold. Dark. Cramped. Raijin's throat was raw from screaming and he'd shot off so much lightning that his head felt like it would split open, but the pine box and the suffocating stench of dirt still closed in on him. He was trying so hard not to hyperventilate but he hadn't had any control in the beginning and every breath of stale air was a countdown to the end. This was _easily_ the top of his list in ways he most did not want to die, but it was going to happen and there was nothing he could do about it.

 

Noise rumbled through the earth, making Raijin moan in terror, but when the earth did not truly swallow him he dared to hope something was different. Then he heard voices.

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“YES.”

 

“How?”

 

“BREATH.”

 

“Fujin?!” Raijin cried, his voice cracking. The noises above his head intensified. “Seifer?!”

 

“We're almost there,” Seifer called, his voice full of relief. “Just stay calm.”

 

“Fuck calm!” Raijin put his hands on the surface of the pine box. “Move back!”

 

“Ah, shit.”

 

“RUN!”

 

With the dregs of his energy, Raijin blasted the top of the pine box and the lid went flying off in an explosion of dirt and splinters. Light and _air_ rushed in at once, making Raijin surge to his feet and claw his way out. It was a very deep hole, deeper than he was tall, but by the time he reached the edge, a slim arm in a blue sleeve and a thicker one wearing white were already reaching for him.

 

“I'm going to kill that bitch,” said Seifer wrathfully to Raijin as he and Fujin pulled the darkskinned man up. As soon as he was on solid ground again, Raijin burst into tears of relief and instantly Fujin and Seifer hugged him hard. For a long time the darkskinned man just sobbed and hyperventilated, trying to get control of himself and failing. To Raijin, being buried alive was what dogs were to Fujin.

 

“F-f-fuck,” he sniffled when the worst of it had passed. He looked at Fujin. “Where were you?”

 

Fujin pointed over her shoulder, making Raijin look. There was another hole by his, just as deep and terrifying. Raijin looked around and realized they were in a chapel of some sort. Fitting. Also really, really sick.

 

“You dug her out?” Raijin asked Seifer.

 

“Not exactly,” said Seifer. “When I ended up here, I noticed there was a breeze coming up from the floor. I pulled the stones back and dirt started flying up. I started digging and calling, and Fujin popped herself out. Like you did. What happened after I put the helmet on?”

 

Raijin sniffled, but it helped to think about something else. “Uh... Well, first you collapsed. We tried to pull it off your head, but it was on there really tight. So we put you on the bed and were planning to wait it out.”

 

“She came back,” said Fujin. “And then she buried us. So... What did you see?”

 

Seifer smiled. It was a small, soft sort of thing, but that was how he smiled when he was happy. Grinning, laughing, throwing his head back, he did all of that when he was happy too, but this was the quiet sort of happiness that warmed a soul for the rest of its life.

 

“My parents,” he said. “Their faces, names... A little of their lives.” Then Seifer sighed. “But I wouldn't have done it if I'd known she was going to bury you two alive,” he said. “Let's get outta here.

 

A flash of white light above them look up and Fujin gasped as Ultimecia appeared in the air above them like a black-winged goddess.

 

“Predictable,” she sighed, her eyes sweeping over them. As she came to rest on the ground, she said to Seifer, “So you're just a weak human after all... Friends. Lovers. Sentiment. I gave you so many chances at something truer and stronger, and you still let weakness betray you.”

 

“Fujin, Raijin,” Seifer said softly, making them glance at him. He was pale but calm. “It's been fun.”

 

“Whatever you're thinking, don't do it,” said Raijin to Seifer as Ultimecia approached.

 

“No,” Fujin hissed as Seifer got up and walked in front of them, holding his arms out like he was going to give Ultimecia a hug. She paused and looked him up and down.

 

“Are you going to beg for their lives?” She asked him.

 

“You said you wanted my service,” said Seifer, his voice calm and steady. “You told me that a True Knight stays with his Sorceress forever. So that's what I'm offering if you swear never to touch, enchant, or influence these two again.”

 

“You're offering 'forever'?” Ultimecia asked, her voice scornful. She folded her arms and gestured, saying, “You do know that if I accept your bargain and you come to serve me in every way I desire, you will have traded your entire existence for these...” She gestured dismissively at Fujin and Raijin. “Moments.”

 

“Moments count.”

 

Ultimecia rolled her eyes. “Disappointing,” she muttered.

 

“Be patient with me,” said Seifer, touching his chest. “I'm young too, aren't I? I'm offering you all the time in the world to become the man you need me to be.”

 

Ultimecia looked at him for a long moment, unimpressed, before she laughed softly.

 

“Kneel,” she said. “As a gesture of good faith.”

 

“Raijin,” Fujin whispered. Except her mouth did not move and yet somehow her voice still brushed over Raijin's ear. With a jump he realized she was somehow vibrating the wind to talk to him. “We need to run. He's trying to protect us, but if she gets him, nothing is going to stop her from ordering _him_ to kill us.”

 

“He wouldn't,” Raijin muttered back, barely moving his lips.

 

“Ultimecia knows we'll _never_ stop trying to get him back. She has no reason to honor the arrangement. Plus the trauma of murdering us would probably drive him him mad permanently. We have to run. We're unarmed, we're low on magic and health, and we can't possibly win.”

 

“But—”

 

Seifer knelt on one knee, his eyes never leaving Ultimecia's. She cocked her head and looked at him without blinking.

 

“Not quite,” she said. “Try again.”

 

Fujin carefully eased her arms to be around Raijin's chest.

 

Seifer exhaled quietly and knelt on both knees, his clenched hands resting on the tops of his legs. He kept looking up at her, his gaze even and as unreadable as his expression ever got. Ultimecia's wings fluffed slightly as her eyes narrowed at him.

 

“You can do better than that,” she said, her voice soft and commanding.

 

Seifer lowered his gaze. Then slowly but definitely, he bowed his head. And Ultimecia smiled.

 

“No,” Raijin whispered, panic rising in him. But Fujin wrapped her arms around his waist, locked her hands together, and _blew_.

 

Ultimecia threw one hand in front of her eyes as Fujin blasted off, clutching Raijin and smashing them both backwards through one of the chapel's large stained windows. At once Ultimecia looked furious and she raised her hand, black arrows with glowing purple tips forming in front of her palm. Seifer lifted his head as the arrows began to whirl softly in place.

 

“ _She can't use them anymore,”_ Seifer realized. _“She's going to kill them!”_

 

Seifer surged to his feet, putting himself squarely between the arrows and his fleeing friends. But Ultimecia never blinked; instead she looked bored. Seifer saw the arrows point ever so slightly outwards. Even though they were practically in his chest, it was clear that they'd go around him, seek out Fujin and Raijin, and...

 

So Seifer stepped forward, grabbed Ultimecia, and kissed her hard on the lips. It was the only thing he could think of that might disorient her long enough for things to matter. Ultimecia froze like she was a victim of her own time-stopping spell, going absolutely rigid in his arms. Peripherally Seifer was aware of the arrows puffing into nothingness.

 

“ _Sweet,”_ Seifer thought as he felt a twitch go through Ultimecia's body. And then she hit him with a blast of pure power that made his vision explode into stars.

 

“You impudent little pervert,” she snarled, hurling him across the room with a thought. Seifer had half a moment to remember how Quistis had been blasted out of the Sorceress's Chamber in Deling City before his spine cracked solidly against the massive, not at all hollow structures of the pipe organ at the back of the chapel. White-hot pain shut out every sense except the awareness of pain radiating out from the center of his body. He was barely aware of crying out. Seifer almost dropped to the ground, but instead he jerked in the air like a puppet as Ultimecia pinned him in place with her power. As she flashed into existence before him, he could see yellow flames burning from her eyes. “You _dare_ force yourself on me?”

 

“You were trying to climb me like a tree less than an hour ago,” Seifer shot back. Even speaking made him cringe in pain, but every moment she was distracted was another moment that Fujin and Raijin got away.

 

And also that Squall and his friends could get closer. Realistically they stood the best chance of killing Ultimecia, though Seifer wasn't sure how they'd manage it. Maybe through sheer numbers. There were six of them, after all.

 

“ _Maybe I can get her to burn some power on me...”_

 

“What?” Seifer demanded as Ultimecia's eyes flashed. “All of a sudden, you're not gagging for it?”

 

Ultimecia flicked her hand. Seifer tensed in preparation for a blow, but not quite in time to save himself from being slammed into the rightmost wall. He felt something pop in his shoulder, sending a fresh burst of agony boiling through his body.

 

“ _I've had worse,”_ Seifer thought grimly as Ultimecia let him drop to the ground. _“I'm a SeeD. I've been one since I was a kid. I can handle this. I've got to make her madder. Make her so pissed that she kills me by accident. Then she can't make me serve her anymore.”_

 

“You've probably got cobwebs up in there anyway,” Seifer challenged, smirking like he didn't want to fall over from pain. “Though I guess I can do a favor for the elderly, I'm not _that_ evil.”

 

Ultimecia swung her entire arm at him. Seifer exhaled and tried to go limp as she hurled him through the air again, smashing him into the stone altar in front of the pipe organ. His brutalized spine burned like a core of red-hot iron as the impact snapped him nearly backwards around the corner of the stone platform, and when he thudded onto his injured side Seifer nearly passed out. But getting hit in the chest with the X-ATM092 shrapnel had hurt a lot more than this. So he told himself, anyway.

 

Ultimecia teleported to him, her eyes blazing. “I think,” she said, kneeling in front of him with one of her claws upraised. “When I bring you to heel, I'm going to remove your vocal cords. Your tongue is going to be useful, but your voice... I don't need that.”

 

Seifer ignored her threat even as the shiver of fear made fresh pain roll over his skin. Instead he reached out with his injured arm and touched his hand to her velvet robe. He took a deep breath, using the agony to fuel his intention and then...

 

Ultimecia drew back with a hiss as the bottom half of her dress burst into flames. She dismissed them with an angry slash, or tried; fire lore was different than mere magic. Seifer felt like he was pouring the entirety of his life and will into the greedy red flames that licked their way up Ultimecia's robe. They were past her knees now.

 

“Fool,” Ultimecia said with utter contempt. She ripped off the burning half of her robe and Seifer sighed (he would have sworn if he'd had the breath) as the robe seemed to magically replace itself. “I offered you a sweet and palatable way to swear yourself to me, and you refused. I offered you something even more enjoyable and suited to your nature, and you refused. You deny me... Why? Out of stubbornness? Pride? Fear, perhaps, on the deepest level you can name?”

 

“Because...”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Because I'm _me,_ ” Seifer whispered, grinning recklessly at her.

 

Ultimecia gestured impatiently and jerked Seifer up onto his feet with a bit of magic. Seifer gritted his teeth but couldn't force down the thin whimper that betrayed how hurt he really was.

 

“And what about _you_ is so special?” Ultimecia asked him scornfully. “Millions of boys like you have lived before, and your bloodline is the only thing of real interest to me. There is a time when you will crawl to me on your hands and knees, willing to be anything but yourself, so—”

 

“Wrong.”

 

Ultimecia's eyes narrowed. Seifer took as deep a breath as he could manage.

 

“I was always myself,” he told her. “Power, a place to belong, a purpose... Those were all things I wanted. Things _I_ wanted. I didn't do shit for _you,_ I did it for _me._ The way _I_ felt. I was always using you for the high of being more. I would have worked with anybody. _You're_ not special.”

 

Ultimecia stared at him. Then she dropped him as she started laughing, clutching her sides and nearly collapsing as peals of incredulous amusement rang off the walls. Meanwhile Seifer gasped on the ground, assessing his condition. It hurt so much to move that he knew he wasn't capable of doing it quickly, and he dimly wondered if the initial throw against the pipe organ had cracked his spinal cord. He wasn't paralyzed, but the pain was intense and unending.

 

“The depths of your delusion are amazing!” Ultimecia said, sounding delighted. “This is so much more fascinating than your false submission. I wonder how dedicated you are... To yourself.”

 

One flick of her clawed fingers banished the pain and injuries, restoring him to the height of health. Seifer sprang to his feet as soon as he could move, but another flick made a different sort of pain flood through his chest and Seifer looked down to see a red flower blooming on his chest. Blood. She had unsealed the lethal wound Quistis had given him two weeks ago in Galbadia Garden. Without thinking Seifer jammed his finger into the laser hole and nearly fell to his knees at the agony of it caused. He tried to slow his breathing, but his stupid heart kept pumping. It didn't know what was good for it.

 

“I will heal you if you ask,” said Ultimecia, looking at him with a tiger's cruel interest. “But if you accept my healing, then I will make you mine. According to your logic, you would prefer to die because then... You will be _yourself._ On the other hand, if you die, you won't be anything, whereas if you serve me, you will live in eternal delight at the side of your goddess.”

 

“ _I'll die,”_ thought Seifer, meeting her gaze steadily. _“And I'll bank on her bringing me back to life at the very end just to fuck with me some more. She really wants me to say 'yes' to her of my own free will, so as long as I don't, she'll keep creating possibilities for me to give me an answer.”_

 

“I'm an atheist,” he said defiantly.

 

Ultimecia folded her arms and waited. Seifer stood and glared defiantly at her even as his sight began to go dark. When he could feel himself swaying, he took a step back and leaned against the altar.

 

“One more minute,” said Ultimecia quietly, her voice a mocking singsong.

 

One minute? Really? It seemed like less. Seifer remembered dying like this before, stunned and on his knees. That was a clear moment in the last month. At the time, he couldn't believe that he was dying in such a bitch way, not on his feet, not swinging his sword. The last words on his lips being a fucking apology. What sort of end was that?

 

But he remembered Quistis being with him. Her face calm, her eyes brimming with emotion. It was always such an infuriating, fascinating contrast. Her hair was like that too; he knew how long and beautiful it was when she let it fall down around her shoulders, how it looked almost hard and too perfect otherwise. The smooth aesthetic perfection of her body, accented with scars that emphasized how just strong she was. How the hand that could wield the scariest weapon he'd ever faced could hold his and still tremble.

 

“ _I'm sorry we hurt you,”_ he remembered her whispering.

 

“ _Me too,”_ Seifer thought as darkness and bitter regrets closed in. But he was still standing. There was time for one more thing.

 

Seifer pulled his finger out of the hole in his chest and flipped off Ultimecia. He heard the smallest noise of disapproval before he thudded to the ground. There was no pain on impact. He told himself he was going to sleep.

 

“ _And when I wake up... I'm gonna be on that beach again with everyone. We're gonna play Wizard Battle and laugh... And Fujin and Raijin will be there too, and Matron and Cid... Quistis... And my mother...”_

 

It wasn't standing. But it was still fighting. And Seifer had fucking won.

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: Originally was going to do a big climactic battle but then I looked at the draft and decided that it wasn't what Seifer needed in order to grow and change.

 

That draft had this absolutely hilarious section, though. Ultimecia reverses time for everyone so it's little kids fighting an evil cherub version of Seifer and then Laguna runs in and she zaps him 10 years younger... And he's still fighting. And then she zaps him again and he's all “HA-HAH, being 24 again is awesome!” because Ultimecia mistakenly thinks he's the same age as everyone else and is _so_ confused that he just won't turn into a child. Then he shoots her and distracts her into dropping the spell that's making everyone be kids.

 

But in that draft, I was entertained and at the same time thinking, 'Why am I doing this to Seifer? This literally serves no purpose'. So that draft got chucked. Permanently.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	37. Chapter 37

23 June 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\

 

High, wild laughter ringing up the stairwell from below made Quistis, Irvine, and Selphie hesitate. So far they had defeated two more guardians, leaving only the power of Drawing, GF-specific commands, and the ability to completely recover all at once still locked. The laugh was just similar enough to when Rinoa had been possessed that instinctively the three SeeDs knew that Ultimecia was near.

 

“Selphie!” Quistis hissed in alarm as the small girl crept catlike down the stairs. “No! We're not ready! Get back here!”

 

Selphie made an irritated flapping motion at her over her shoulder and got down on all fours, creeping exactly like a cat. Quistis looked at Irvine, who shrugged helplessly and started sneaking after Selphie. After a moment to press her hands against her temples, Quistis crept down too.

 

“The depths of your delusion are amazing!” Ultimecia said, sounding delighted. Who was she talking to? “This is so much more fascinating than your false submission. I wonder how dedicated you are... To yourself.”

 

Submission? Quistis looked at Irvine, who again shrugged, but Selphie just crept further down the stairs.

 

“I will heal you if you ask. But if you accept my healing, then I will make you mine. According to your logic, you would prefer to die because then... You will be _yourself._ On the other hand, if you die, you won't be anything, whereas if you serve me, you will live your days in eternal delight at the side of your goddess...”

 

Who the hell was she talking to? Quistis chewed her lip, nightmare visions of Zell, Squall, or worst, Rinoa being slowly tormented by Ultimecia with them being less than thirty feet away. She didn't hear Selphie's tiny gasp as Quistis eased herself down a few more steps and leaned out.

 

Seifer stood several feet away from Ultimecia, his hand pressed to his chest. Quistis stared at the rapidly growing puddle of blood around his feet. He was unarmed. Fujin and Raijin were completely out of sight, but they wouldn't let him bleed out like that if they were alive.

 

“I'm an atheist,” Seifer said with a reckless grin on his graying face. The frightening clarity of the zealot was back in his eyes, but it had never been more clear that he had turned against Ultimecia. Quistis silently covered her mouth and felt a light touch on her arm. It was Irvine, gently pulling her out of the line of sight. He was standing with his back against the stone stair's wall, his shotgun held ready at his side.

 

“Thoughts?” He whispered, barely moving his lips.

 

Quistis closed her eyes. They weren't ready. They weren't. And only half of them were there. Her body started to shake with suppressed anguish and the absolute requirement for success.

 

“One more minute,” said Ultimecia, making Quistis press her heels of her hands into her temples. She was trying so hard not to breathe too loudly when all she wanted to do was cry.

 

“ _Maybe we could just heal him and run. Just throw a Curaga or a Full-Life and get back up the stairs. We might not give away our position then. Maybe. But she's a sorceress. And we can't count on him to help us distract her, or maybe she'd block the spell... She was totally willing to let him die before, I can't imagine she wouldn't do it again. And if we heal him, he might turn on us again..._

 

“ _No. No, he wouldn't. That look on his face... He's back. Seifer's back. Back just in time to die..._

 

“ _Or... Wait. Brain activity is still present for up to four minutes after death. Most people don't push it and revive fallen comrades right away, but... But it can be done. And Seifer has come back from the brink like that before; I don't know how much time elapsed between him dying in G-Garden and being revived by... Oh, it must have been Ultimecia. Rinoa wasn't a sorceress back then, but she was possessed..._

 

“ _Does that mean he can only be pulled back from death with sorcery? No... No, there's no reason to expect that a Life spell wouldn't work, if we can cast it in time.”_

 

Ignoring Irvine's hiss of caution, Quistis leaned out again. She saw Seifer stagger. There was that grin again, that smile he had when he was about to do something stupid.

 

He gave Ultimecia the finger and collapsed. The thud of his knees hitting the ground was overloud and the crack of his head impacting the stone made Quistis clap her hands over her mouth. Dead bodies hit the floor like that.

 

“ _Wait,”_ her strategist heart said sternly. _“Just wait for her to go away. She wouldn't wait out the whole four minutes, would she? There's no point.”_

 

Ultimecia walked over to Seifer and gestured with one hand. He floated up like a string was attached to the top of his head, his body completely slack. There was no light in his eyes. Quistis nearly bit through her lip.

 

“Fool,” said Ultimecia as she looked at Seifer, but she seemed less than contemptuous as she gazed on his still face. “You had everything...”

 

Ultimecia started doing something with both hands, sketching black signs in the air. At once, the blood that had dripped from Seifer's body started to rise up, darkening to a color like old wine. Quistis's skin crawled in horror as Ultimecia started to feed it back into his chest, now shot with threads of a sullen glowing red that did not herald anything good. Quistis saw Seifer's hands twitch slightly and dark lines like whip wheals snake across what bare flesh she could see. Something about those marks and the black blood made Quistis's stomach roil with nausea.

 

“ _Disengage,”_ said the cold survivor part of her soul, the part of her that had completed fifty-two successful missions in three years and lived through eight more that should have ended her life. _“You still have powers sealed and only half of you are here to fight. You will die if you try to make him live.”_

 

“ _Maybe,”_ she told herself. _“And maybe not. But I'm not going to lose him just like that, not when the real him was finally back...”_

 

“I suppose a Dread Knight works as well as True Knight in most cases,” sighed Ultimecia. Speaking directly to Seifer's dead body, she said, “I'm sure this wasn't the 'forever' you were thinking of when you told me you would serve, but there is no escape from me.”

 

Quistis's heart seemed to turn to a lump of iron in her chest. Without consciously thinking about it, she reached into her belt pouch and took out a scarlet feather that glowed with inner light, little sparks like the end of a firework popping painlessly off the end of each vane. At her side, Selphie and Irvine stared in shock. Every one of them carried a single Phoenix Pinion, refined at great cost and care from Phoenix Downs and other results of their travels. The feather was about ten inches long, stiff, and weighted for flight. Quistis drew back her arm, her blood cooling to mercury for the first time in a very long time.

 

“ _I can do this.”_

 

Perfect economy of motion surged up from her feet, through her waist, her cocked arm, and finally her wrist and fingers to provide just enough motion for Quistis to flick the feather forward like a dart. Selphie and Irvine held their breaths.

 

The Phoenix Pinion hit Seifer in the hand, just low enough that Ultimecia did not notice. Quistis, Selphie, and Irvine held their breaths. None of them had ever seen a Phoenix Pinion activate.

 

The legendary feather did not burst into flames. It instead fell to pieces like a rain of sparks, dropping a fine dust of glimmering gold to the ground. But then with a life of its own, the dust suddenly spread and Ultimecia dropped Seifer, backing up at once with her eyes widening slightly. Seifer dropped bonelessly into the center of a shape that drew itself, outlining the shape of a massive bird that started to boil with flame.

 

At once Ultimecia started looking around, but Irvine had already grabbed Quistis back and was holding her tight, physically restraining her from looking to see what her actions had caused. As soon as Quistis had thrown the Pinion, Selphie had thrown herself up the stairs and had clapped her hand over Quistis's mouth. None of them were in sight. They hoped.

 

Light more blinding than the sun made Ultimecia shield her eyes with arms and wings as the Phoenix of legend pulled itself from the ground. At once its massive multicolored wings closed around Seifer in a distinctly protective action, and fire jetted out from the hole in his heart. It burned red and then for a moment, blue and green and white. As the blinding lights dimmed, Ultimecia peered between her arms to see the legendary bird looking directly at her.

 

“ _ **MINE**.”_

 

The word, the concept, the utter ownership seemed to make the entire world shake as the Phoenix spoke. The SeeDs staggered in the stairwell and Ultimecia took a step back, her wings half-raising in alarm. The Phoenix rose into the air and flapped once, hard. Ultimecia backwinged as white-cored flames came rushing at her in a solid wall that almost screamed like a living thing. The sorceress disappeared in a flash of light even as the windows of the chapel melted in their panes and the stones began to shimmer with forced heat.

 

The SeeDs disappeared in a decidedly more pedestrian manner. As the fire swelled up the hall, everyone ran as fast as they could, hearing the flames roar like dragons and lick at their heels. As they ran up the stairs and into the ruined clocktower, Selphie hit the ground in a roll and twisted around, already casting a spell.

 

“Blizzaga times three!” She shouted just as Quistis and Irvine came through the door. At once triple layers of coldest ice filled the doorway, filling the clocktower with steam as the GF's fire raged beyond. Irvine and Quistis gasped for breath in the humid air, but the fires died before the last Blizzaga gave out and in a short time, the air went back to being cool and only a little damp.

 

“I'm sorry,” said Quistis, making Selphie and Irvine look at her. “I know we don't have many of those, but...”

 

“Look... We know you,” said Irvine. “And... Well...”

 

“You've always been fighting so hard to do the right thing or the reasonable thing,” said Selphie to the older girl. “This isn't any different.”

 

Quistis closed her eyes. “I don't even know if that worked.”

 

“Wanna go back and check?”

 

“...can we?”

 

Irvine nodded. “Of course.”

 

So they went back. Quistis uttered a low moan of dismay when she saw nothing where Seifer's collapsed body had been, but they went down into the chapel anyway. The ground was scorched. There was a whitish blotchy area where Seifer's body had been, but when Selphie touched it and rubbed her fingers, it was only bare stone and not human ash.

 

“We didn't see Fujin and Raijin...” said Irvine as he looked around. Quistis kept staring at the blank white space. “They probably picked him up and ran again... Yeah, look. Footsteps in the soot. Three pair.”

 

“Three?” Quistis turned as Irvine pointed at subtle smudges on the floor. “Are you sure?”

 

“Yep,” he said, kneeling and gesturing just over the steps. “See? Three different tread patterns. He walked outta here.”

 

“He walked...”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Quistis took a deep, rattling breath. She nodded, closing her eyes. “Good,” she whispered. “That's very good.”

 

Selphie and Irvine looked at each other, their brows raising slightly. Irvine glanced at the chapel door, which was slightly ajar. Selphie looked at Quistis, who was hugging herself and trembling, her eyes fixed on the ground.

 

“Oh for the love of Hyne, just go,” said Irvine, making Quistis look at him in shock. “The tracks tell me they're walking. They can't have gone far.”

 

“But—”

 

“We've got time,” said Selphie, flapping her hands at her. “Just go. I bet he's still in the courtyard.”

 

“Go or I swear, I will drag you out there myself,” said Irvine, rising to his feet. “This is just painful. Go. Go!”

 

“Alright, I'm going!” Quistis tried to snap, but it came out as a laugh. Feeling strangely free, she ran. Selphie and Irvine looked at each other again and rolled their eyes.

 

“Aren't you glad I'm straightforward?” Irvine asked her.

 

“We've had ten years of melodrama,” said Selphie, walking over to him and grasping his lapels. Irvine smiled as he obligingly leaned down. “I think we've hit our quota.”

 

“Happy endings from now on?”

 

“Let's defeat the evil queen first,” said Selphie, nevertheless smiling as she kissed him on the lips.

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: I just realized this is the second-to-last chapter before the end of this part and a whole bunch of epilogues.

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 


	38. Chapter 38

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I had a dream so big and loud, I jumped so high I touched the clouds, whoa  
> I stretched my hand up to the sky, we danced with monsters through the night, whoa  
> I'm never gonna look back, whoa, I'm never gonna give it up, no  
> Just don't wake me now
> 
> This is gonna be the best day of my life, my life  
> This is gonna be the best day of my life, my life
> 
> I howled at the moon with friends, and then the sun came crashing in, whoa  
> Boy, all the possibilities, no limits, just epiphanies, whoa  
> I'm never gonna look back, whoa, I'm never gonna give it up, no  
> Just don't wake me now
> 
> This is gonna be the best day of my life, my life  
> This is gonna be the best day of my life, my life
> 
> I hear it calling outside my window, I feel it in my soul  
> The stars were burning so bright, the sun was out 'til midnight,  
> I say we lose control
> 
> This is gonna be, this this is gonna be, this is gonna be  
> The best day of my life  
> Everything is looking up, everybody up now  
> This is gonna be the best day of my life, my life

25 June 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\

  
  


When fire jetted from the windows of the chapel, Raijin and Fujin were high above the castle and looking around. Raijin was initially furious with Fujin for dragging them away, but she told him to have faith that Seifer would figure things out; he was finally back to the person they remembered and _that_ person had always been resourceful. Raijin disagreed but then again, Raijin was usually the one forced to save Seifer from his own stupid decisions while Fujin typically rolled her eyes and scolded them into not doing that _exact_ thing again. Fujin was looking for an escape and Raijin was looking back at the chapel, hating that they'd run, when the flames came exploding out.

 

“Fujin!” Raijin shouted, flailing in her arms; they were being supported by a long, thick column of air that wove like a snake and was powered strictly by Fujin's concentration. The column wobbled dangerously and nearly fell apart as he started kicking. “Fujin! We have to go back! Look!”

 

“DAMN,” she said, her eye widening at the sight of the fire.

 

An inhuman screech from inside the chapel made them both freeze. Then abruptly the fire vanished. With her inhuman control of wind, Fujin flew both her and Raijin back into the chapel, fitting them carefully through a window of melting stained glass and lead that was dull red with heat.

 

And in the blackened epicenter of where the fire had come from was Seifer, standing on his own two feet and brushing himself off.

 

“Seifer!” Raijin cried out, making Seifer turn. His scar was still across his face, but otherwise he looked the same as he always had; strong, healthy, as vital as the sun itself. He looked good as new down to his coat, which through some magic was as pristine as the day he'd bought it. Fujin dropped Raijin by Seifer's side and landed too, her face shining with relief.

 

“What happened?” Raijin demanded, looking around. “Where's the bitch?”

 

“She flew off,” said Seifer, gesturing vaguely. “Witches and fire don't mix. Who knew?”

 

“WHAT HAPPENED?” Fujin asked, looking around. “YOU?”

 

“No, it wasn't mine.” Seifer absently rubbed the back of his left hand as he looked at the flame-touched devastation. “I'm not exactly sure... I know I was dead for a while, but—”

 

“DEAD?” Fujin demanded, her face going white.

 

“Temporarily. Oh...” Seifer looked down at his chest, pulling his shirt out a bit. “That's new.”

 

'That' was a massive white scar going across his chest and down his stomach. Though as far as scars went, it was neat-looking; to Fujin and Raijin it looked like a sun with very long rays, and there was almost a flamelike white-on-white ripple under the scar tissue. At the center of the sun was a healed dot of perfectly normal skin.

 

“There goes your modeling career,” said Raijin, making Seifer snort.

 

“Mainstream modeling,” said Seifer, dropping his shirt. The thin white scar lines were visible, but subtle enough to pass most muster. “Might have to look into the alt scene.”

 

Fujin shook her head, chuckling. “LEAVE,” she said, pointing at the chapel door.

 

“Oh yeah, Fuj and I saw these weird white portals outside,” said Raijin. “We don't know where they go, but anywhere but here, ya know?”

 

“Yeah...” Seifer nodded, relief making him sigh. “I'm sick of this place. Let's go.”

 

Raijin unhooked something from behind his belt and Seifer stared; it was Hyperion.

 

“You gotta quit leaving your shit all over the place,” said Raijin as Seifer took the weapon gratefully. “But it's on its last legs.”

 

Seifer ran his hand over the black-toned blade. He knew what Raijin meant. The gunblade was warped from his repeated abuses of fire and when he tested the edge, it wasn't anywhere near sharp anymore. Seifer sighed, remembering the first day he'd been given the weapon.

 

“ _Congratulations on passing the special seminar,” said Cid, though Seifer heard him only distantly; he was too busy devouring the sight of_ his very own gunblade _as it lay in a bed of custom-cut foam with eight slim bullets. As soon as he picked it up, he knew it had been made for him in more ways than one; the slender blade was double-edged and had three weight-reducing holes near the hilt that would make it even easier to wield one-handed. As Seifer pried the gunblade from its case and held it for the first time, Cid said, “I know you'll make good use of this blade, Seifer.”_

 

“ _I didn't make good use of it at all,”_ thought Seifer, running his fingers along the heat-rippled finish. It was hard not to see himself in the damaged weapon, though he wryly noticed that at least the metal still seemed sound. Hooking Hyperion back on his belt, he jerked his head at the chapel door and they started to walk.

 

“So what now?” Raijin asked as they crossed the same courtyard Seifer had run by earlier.

 

“I don't know,” said Seifer. He looked around at the strange courtyard, the shimmering rainbow corona just barely visible on the horizon, and shrugged. “Honestly, just far away from civilization sounds good to me.”

 

“BEACH.”

 

“Yeah! A tropical vacation,” said Raijin enthusiastically. “With fishing and lying down and doing nothing except getting tan.”

 

Seifer and Fujin looked at Raijin, his teeth practically glowing in his dark-skinned face, and both of them smirked.

 

“YEAH,” said Fujin, gesturing at Raijin. “PALE.”

 

Seifer looked at Fujin. “What about you?”

 

She pursed her lips as they exited the courtyard and into an admittedly gorgeous room that was nevertheless the color of old bones that had lain underwater for years. Seifer gestured for everyone to walk upstairs and around the balcony.

 

“SAILING,” Fujin said brightly. Pointing at herself proudly, she said, “CAPTAIN.”

 

“What about me?” Raijin asked.

 

“FIRST MATE.”

 

“Let me guess,” said Seifer, glancing at her. “I'm the cook?”

 

Fujin smirked and shook her head. Pointing at him, she pronounced, “CABIN BOY.”

 

“Cabin boy?” He exclaimed in mock-outrage.

 

“Yeah, you're gonna be swabbing the decks for at least a month,” said Raijin, grinning. Tauntingly he pointed at Seifer with double finger guns, singsonging, “Nothing but biiiiitch work!”

 

Seifer tried to roll his eyes and grumble, but instead he laughed. And Fujin and Raijin grinned.

 

“Do I have to wear a stupid uniform too?” Seifer asked, already knowing what the answer would be.

 

“Yes,” they chorused as they pushed open the doors that led to the main hall. “The stupidest,” said Raijin, with Fujin following up with “SHORT SHORTS.”

 

“And how exactly are we getting this boat?”

 

“STEAL IT,” said Fujin without hesitation.

 

“I hear FH has nice boats,” said Raijin. “Or we could go back to Balamb. You know Faltings doesn't lock up.”

 

“Only if we want everything we own to smell like garlic forever,” said Seifer as Fujin made a face. “Onions and that hot sauce he uses.”

 

“NO COOKING.”

 

“I'm with Fuj.”

 

“Piracy?” Raijin suggested brightly.

 

“Nah,” said Seifer and Fujin at the same time.

 

“Aww, why not?”

 

“LAY LOW?”

 

“Oh yeah...” Raijin suddenly snapped his fingers. “Naked shellfish diving!”

 

They were walking down the main stairs, but stopped as Seifer wordlessly stared at Raijin while Fujin pointed at him and said “NO.”

 

“Come on, you'd be an awesome pearl diver, Fuj,” said Raijin, waggling his eyebrows. Fujin folded her arms protectively over her chest and hunched up her shoulders.

 

“YOU FIRST,” she said as she continued to walk down the steps.

 

“Nah, I'd scare the fish away. But you know what I could get?”

 

“WHAT?”

 

“Conch.”

 

“What the hell's a conch?” Seifer asked, glancing at him.

 

“You know in those old movies and stuff where people have those huge shells and they blow through 'em like trumpets and what?” As Seifer blinked at him uncomprehendingly, Raijin said, “It's basically a big sea snail. You can eat the inside and sell the outside. Tasty and profitable, ya know?”

 

“We're not cooking on the boat,” said Seifer, already anticipating the miasma of oil and salt that came from cooking in a small place.

 

“You mean, _we're_ not cooking on the boat,” said Raijin, pointing at himself and Fujin. As Fujin started to smirk, Raijin said to her, “Eh? Eh? Remember last fall when that guy came in with all that shellfish?”

 

Seifer made a gagging noise while Fujin hummed happily, her gaze becoming dreamy. Seifer had eaten only the crab last year, but Fujin and Raijin had pried everything out of anything that had a shell and had eaten until they felt like barfing. It had been glorious to them and nauseating to Seifer. They had eaten snailsand something that looked like an animate booger _._

 

“That's what I'm saying!” Raijin threw his hands in the air. “And then we can polish up the shells nice and pretty and sell 'em and we're set!”

 

“I guess it's time to steal a boat then,” said Seifer, making Fujin and Raijin laugh. He smiled at the sound of their carefree laughter and sighed, feeling some of the tension leave him. It was going to be a long time before he could look at either of them without feeling guilty about everything he'd done, but at least they weren't hauling him up on his ear about it right now. They had a lifetime to do that.

 

“ _Well... I guess I can take it.”_

 

He listened to Fujin and Raijin chatter as they exited Ultimecia's castle. A monstrously huge chain went down from the floating castle to the beach and as they walked very, very carefully down the salt-rimed links, each as big as a car, Seifer saw the portals that Fujin and Raijin had been talking about.

 

“Where do they go?” He asked.

 

“I dunno.”

 

“MYSTERY.”

 

“Well which one are we taking?”

 

Raijin and Fujin glanced at each other. They did rock-paper-scissors. Raijin whooped when he won, turned to the portals, and started counting, “Eenie, meenie, miney, mo...”

 

Seifer rolled his eyes with a soft chuckle and looked back at Ultimecia's castle. Despite everything he sighed heavily, feeling the childlike part of his heart still yearning for the grand adventure that he knew was inside. The past month had slid by in something like a drug haze, or maybe a really good dream...

 

Because for all the pain and horror, the betrayal, there were parts of it that had been like something out of a dream. Ranks upon ranks of soldiers snapping to attention on his order, the respect and awe as they called him ' _Sir_ Seifer', feeling the fate of hundreds under his hand as he gave the order for the missiles to be launched. Commanding the Lunatic Pandora and seeing the sky turn the color of blood as he called down the Lunar Cry. Seifer sighed again, but this time to exorcise the desperate craving for that sort of power and control again.

 

As a child, no one had ever really told him how much the evil tyrant _liked_ being an asshole. That he didn't just spring wholesale from the ground, the son of the Devil and the monsters from the moon. That he didn't always start off kicking puppies and reveling in the lamentation of women. Now that Seifer was older, he knew the evil kings, the dark knights, and the terrible sorceresses all became how they were because they thought they were _right._ They thought they were all heroes or at least doing the right thing. And they never really questioned why.

 

“ _I fell into the same trap,”_ thought Seifer as Raijin picked a portal. Turning away from the siren call of _adventure, power, right_ , Seifer followed Fujin and Raijin down to the portal he had picked. Raijin rubbed his hands together and jumped first, landing on the shining white marble plinth and sticking his arm through. When he pulled it back uninjured, he walked in and disappeared in a flash of blue-white light. Meanwhile Seifer looked back at the castle one last time. Maybe it was just the pain from being healed, but it almost seemed like his heart was breaking. There was a huge part of him that wanted to run back... To see what else would happen... But...

 

“It's all good!” said Raijin, coming back through the portal. “Some sorta forest on the other side. I don't know the trees, but it's far away from civilization, right?”

 

“...yeah,” said Seifer, turning away. He didn't see the castle doors creak open and a woman wearing a pink battle dress, her hair sunny blonde, step outside and look around. “Let's go.”

 

“ _Quistis is in there,”_ he thought. _“Quistis and Squall and Rinoa... Selphie and Zell and Irvine. They're going to kill the evil sorceress. They're going to be heroes._

 

“ _It should have been me, shouldn't it? The last son of True Sorceress's Knights, raised to destroy evil sorceresses from birth, my entire family killed by one such person... And I've got good friends who've been with me the whole way, a woman I really want to impress... Two of them, actually. The woman who raised me with my mother's spirit in her this whole time, and also...”_

 

Quistis saw a flash of white coming from the chain far below. Except unlike all the other teasing flickers of white she had followed here, this one gleamed like the edge of a fresh-polished blade, and her heart surged into her throat as she saw Seifer jump from the mooring chain and onto one of the white marble portals. She wanted to shout, but he stepped through without a backward glance and the impulse died in her throat. Quistis pressed her hands to her mouth, forcing the cry back as Raijin stepped through the portal, grinning, and finally Fujin went. None of them turned back. Especially not the one that mattered.

 

“ _It's fine,”_ she told herself, blinking back the prickle of disappointment stinging her eyes. _“He's alive. He's normal. He's walking away from all this. It's...really... Really, it's fine.”_

 

Quistis exhaled forcefully, gripping the silver necklace. If he was alive, they'd meet again. She'd make sure of it.

 

“ _Something to look forward to,”_ Quistis thought, turning back to the castle. _“That's something I will live for..._

 

“ _So until then, Seifer, take care of yourself. We have so much to talk about.”_

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: This is the last formal chapter of Cracked Seed. Everything that follows afterward is an epilogue of sorts that ties into the next mega-arc, Growing Seed. There will be a month break after the last epilogue is posted, during which time I will be doing more art on the tumblr and filling little drabbles to keep in practice.

 

Thanks so much for everyone who has read through this far and continues to be excited about this journey. Special thanks to Loki7, xeuphoria, emeraldlatias, and h34rt1lly for leaving reviews with almost every chapter and giving me something to smile about every day, though every review I get always fills me with happiness. Fanfic is always a joy to create and even more of a pleasure to share with everyone. See you all soon!

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	39. Epilogue 1

28 June 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\

 

As the Estharian flight crew showed an excited Selphie, a curious Zell, and a patient Irvine how to fly the Ragnarok, estranged father and son went to the conference room and talked.

 

“Believe me, I had no idea—” Laguna started, but Squall shook his head.

 

“I know,” he said. Tapping his head, he said, “I tracked the timeline after you bumped Adel into the Tomb. It would have been a few months after I was born, before you sent Ellone back to Winhill. So she couldn't have told you. And with the Tomb up, radio communications were cut out everywhere, so you couldn't even call to find out.”

 

Laguna nodded, grateful that Squall understood. “Still...”

 

“I'm not angry with you,” said Squall. When Laguna opened his mouth, Squall shrugged and said, “You just didn't know. Plus, everything that happened made me able to fight here today. And meet...my friends.”

 

“Rinoa,” said Laguna with a knowing smirk.

 

“Rinoa,” Squall admitted, a smile ghosting across his face. “So... Thanks. For loving my mother and Sis... Ellone. And for doing what you could to make the world a safer place.”

 

Laguna rubbed the back of his neck. “You are a lot calmer about this than I thought you'd be.”

 

“I've been thinking about it a lot,” said Squall, glancing off to the side. “Weeks, now.”

 

“Weeks! You've known that long?”

 

Squall nodded. “When Edea was herself again, we talked. And she said that Ellone was sticking us back in the past with you and Kiros and Ward because she wanted to change something.”

 

“She said she wanted us to meet...” said Laguna quietly.

 

“That's what Edea said too,” said Squall just as softly. “And then Ellone said she knew my mother, and that my father was far away...” Squall shrugged. “It just sort of fell into place.”

 

“And you didn't say anything?” Laguna demanded.

 

Squall shrugged. Laguna realized there was a lot of Raine in Squall's thought processes when he said, “Every time I saw you, we were in the middle of a crisis. Besides... This could have gone wrong. You could have said... No. I don't want a son. I can't—”

 

“Oh shut up,” said Laguna, crossing the conference room and hugging Squall before he could make his old man cry. Squall locked up for a solid three seconds before easing, though he wasn't quick to hug Laguna back. “Squall... I know you're not mad. But I am sick with myself that you had to grow up without me. If I'd known, I would have dropped everything. I swear, I'll do whatever I can to make things up to you.”

 

“I know,” said Squall. He did, truly and deeply; Laguna had run all over the world for Ellone, after all, and it wasn't hard for Squall to believe that Laguna would have cracked the world in half to find a child of his own blood. In a way, being in Laguna's silly, fluffy head so frequently had been a blessing.

 

“You had your obligations,” said Squall, sounding uncomfortable and very young. Laguna realized he was on the verge of trying to squirm free and let go of the young man, who looked red in the face and very awkward. “Believe me... I know about those.”

 

“Yeah...” Laguna stepped back and rubbed the back of his head. “So, Commander at 17.”

 

“Not my idea,” said Squall, folding his arms and looking away.

 

“Still pretty good at it, though.”

 

Squall shrugged. “We'll see in the future. Personally...”

 

“Yeah?”

 

Squall looked down at the ground. “I... I don't know if I want to fight anymore. Not right now. I know it's what I'm trained for, but...”

 

“Hey, hey,” said Laguna, making Squall look up. “If you wanna rest? Rest. Take it from me, if you don't _make_ the time, you will never _have_ the time. Look... You wanna go to Winhill?”

 

“Winhill?” Squall's eyes lightened, the cares of his office falling from his face. Laguna exhaled in relief. “Why? Isn't Raine...?”

 

“Yeah, but I can show you where she's resting,” said Laguna, making Squall nod slowly. “And the house where... Well, you know. We can just talk...”

 

Squall looked wistful. He also looked very young, which made Laguna's chest hurt with hope for the future. “Don't you have a country to run?” Squall asked in a voice that reminded Laguna powerfully of Raine.

 

“Don't you have a Garden to tend?” Laguna retorted.

 

They stared at each other for a while before Squall scoffed softly. “Just a day,” he said to the older man, who grinned. “And then it's back to the grindstone. For both of us.”

 

“If you like,” said Laguna, his eyes sparking. “Because, ah... Well, my country could use some combat specialists. Long-term.”

 

“Let's talk about that tomorrow,” said Squall, his eyes glowing softly with interest.

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: Epilogue 1/7. I always had a really hard time understanding why a lot of fanfic writers make Squall hate Laguna so much. Sure he had an unfavorable first impression, but that doesn't change at ALL during the game? I don't believe it. I can understand some hurt/bewilderment/rage at having been lost or apparently abandoned... But I don't know. I'm not an orphan. So there's a whole complex basket of feelings I'm never truly going to understand.

But in any case, I don't like that interpretation. I would much rather that Squall and Laguna get along. So there.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	40. Epilogue 2

2 July 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\

 

The Ragnarok dropped Rinoa, Squall, and Angelo outside of Deling City. It was mostly so Rinoa could get clothes, or so she said. But as they went to Rinoa's house, Squall wondered if his girlfriend had something else in mind because she had a grim look on her face like she was about to face Ultimecia down again. Which meant she was thinking about interacting with her father. Squall kept his mouth shut. He didn't think he had any useful advice.

 

For his part in attempting to assassinate Sorceress Edea, General Fury Caraway had been jailed but was too popular to outright kill; still, when they went to the mansion, the soldiers that had been placed around the perimeter were gone and Squall and Rinoa looked at each other uneasily. There would be no need to guard an empty house and they hadn't exactly had time to check up on the news...

 

“ _But would Edea had even announced that such a popular hero had been executed?”_

 

Rinoa ran to the door, Angelo at her heels and Squall not far behind. How could they kill her father and not let anybody know about it? They wouldn't... Would they?

 

The door was open, which made Rinoa bite her lip, and she ran inside, heading for Caraway's office. As she flung the door open, the clicking of tens of weapons made her tense instantly and she found herself staring at...

 

A room... filled with reporters. The clicking had been cameras. Not weapons. Rinoa swallowed her instinctive fear.

 

“ _So far, nobody knows I'm a sorceress...”_

 

And Caraway was behind his desk, in military best, clearly in the middle of giving a speech. She saw the papers in his hands. There was a little plaque on his desk that was embossed with 'interim president', which made it pretty clear what the press conference was about.

 

But what really stopped Rinoa in her tracks was the look on her father's face.

 

“Rinoa?” He said, stunned. His voice cracked. Rinoa realized that she hadn't seen her father in a solid three weeks, which wasn't unusual except that the last time he'd probably had contact with her was through Irvine at the prison. Which meant... He had no idea what had happened to her after that. Or any of them.

 

“ _Did he think I was dead?”_ She wondered as Caraway continued to stare at her. _“He looks like he's staring at a ghost...”_

 

“Sorry...” Rinoa said, easing herself backwards out of the room. Squall hadn't been an idiot and was waiting in the hall, holding Angelo's collar. “I'll just... Let myself out...”

 

Caraway surged up from his desk, scattering papers, and Rinoa yelped as he ran up to her and hugged her hard, squashing all the breath out of her. She thought he was squashing the breath out of himself too until she realized the weird ragged sound he was making was crying.

 

He was _crying._

 

Rinoa looked helplessly at Squall, who picked up Angelo and tiptoed down the hall into the nearest empty room. Meanwhile Rinoa was powerfully aware of what seemed like every camera in the world aimed at her and her old man while Caraway cried into her hair. She was acutely embarrassed for him.

 

“We'll continue the interview at another time,” she heard Wooster the butler say, and Rinoa heaved a sigh of relief. As the solid, reliable man shut the doors to the office, she saw him nodding at the two of them in approval.

 

“Let go,” she squeaked to Caraway. “I can't breathe.”

 

Caraway let go and when Rinoa looked up at him, she was stunned to see the face of a man she hadn't fully recognized in years. He looked just as heartbroken as the day her mother had died and thinking about that horrible day made tears come to Rinoa's eyes too.

 

“I thought...” Caraway said, his voice cracking again. “All this time...”

 

“I'm fi—”

 

“Wasted.”

 

Rinoa gasped. “Huh?” She exclaimed. The flickers of indignation and outrage started to flare again, but Caraway kept talking.

 

“I wasted so much time just not...being there,” said Caraway, making Rinoa stare at him. “You loved your mother so much. I didn't know how to deal with that, when she... You cried so much. I didn't know what to do. So I holed myself up and it was wrong. I'm sorry, Rinoa.”

 

“ _Oh holy Hyne,”_ thought Rinoa, absolutely stunned. Unconsciously she touched her father's proud, now broken face. 

 

“I'm fine,” she told him, not sure what else to say.

 

“There were so many odds saying you weren't,” said Caraway, his face crumpling again. “When you didn't come back from the prison. When you were fighting in FH along with the SeeDs. During the battle between the Gardens, when you fought and nearly _died,_ and then just _nothing_ after that, and then all this...Madness!”

 

“Madness?” Rinoa asked blankly. She hadn't really thought about how Time Compression would affect those outside Ultimecia's castle.

 

“Dead people walking the streets and children who haven't been born yet talking to their parents...” Caraway shuddered. “And all I could think about was that you'd go without knowing that I've always loved you. I just...”

 

“You don't know how to show it,” said Rinoa softly, feeling the irritated fire around her heart die down a little. A lot. Anger, grief... That was what had pulled Adel down her path. Needing _her_ way all the time, that was what had motivated Ultimecia. 

 

“ _I'm not them. I can move on. I can be flexible.”_

 

“I forgive you... Dad,” said Rinoa. Something tightly curled up inside her chest started to unfurl, almost painful in its hesitancy.

 

Caraway hugged her again. This time Rinoa hugged back, as much to brace herself against his crushing hug as to let him know that she'd never stopped loving him either. Which right now sucked a lot less than it usually did.

 

“Though I didn't know you were spying on me,” she said after a moment.

 

“I wasn't spying, I was receiving reports from soldiers you engaged,” he said. “And I thought you'd like to know, they think you're terrifying.”

 

“...like father, like daughter. Timberi people think you're pretty terrifying too.”

 

“Ah, Timber...” Caraway sighed and let go of Rinoa, his face falling into more familiar, more annoying lines. “We have to talk about that.”

 

Rinoa folded her arms. “Now? We were just having such a nice time.”

 

“I know... But it needs to be now. Rinoa, I can't withdraw our forces from Timber. It sits right on the railway between us and Esthar and I need the location, especially with that Estharian weapon flying around.”

 

“It's called Lunatic Pandora, it was operated by the Sorceress's Knight, and it was called down on Esthar itself,” said Rinoa flatly.

 

Caraway opened his mouth. She could see him about to launch into some sort of lecture, but to her surprise he shook his head and said, “The point I wanted to make was that I'm not willing to give up Timber to anybody... But you.”

 

“What?” Rinoa said, staring at him.

 

“You care about that territory way more than any official who's ever been dispatched there,” said Caraway, making Rinoa's mouth fall open. “You know the people and their concerns. My first act as interim president is making you the official Timberi Liaison to the Galbadian Government, as such time as the territory negotiates the terms of its secession. Deal?”

 

Rinoa gaped like a fish. “Wh.. What? I... I...”

 

“Let's be honest,” he said, his mouth quirking. “Anybody else I'd put in the position, you'd undermine in a week. So let's cut out the red tape. Will you do it?”

 

Rinoa grabbed Caraway's face in both hands and stared at him. “Who are you and what have you done with my old man?”

 

“I aged decades worrying about you,” he shot back. “I shot past middle age and straight into graybeard wisdom. _Will you do it?_ I thought you were smart enough.”

 

“I am!” She snapped, stung.

 

“Good.” He straightened and smoothed out his coat. As Rinoa realized what had just happened, he said, “We'll clear out the second drawing room for your office. I expect you'll be very busy, especially since I got a call from the President of Esthar and he'll be opening the borders again, which means the railway will be operational once more.”

 

“Laguna?!” Rinoa gasped. “He called you?! When?!”

 

“About two hours ago,” said Caraway, making Rinoa realize that Laguna had called Caraway while they'd all been on the Ragnarok. “And... Why are you on first-name terms with the President of the Silent Country?”

 

“I'm...” Well, two of them could play the 'dropping horrible bombshells' game. “I'm dating his son. His estranged son.”

 

Ah, there was the red-faced old man she remembered. But all Caraway said was, “You never do anything easy, do you?”

 

“What's the fun in that?”

 

Caraway snorted. Then Rinoa stared as he started to laugh softly, and the all-too-rare sound of his warm, deep chuckle seemed to snap her back to when she was four and nothing in the world was wrong...

 

“Daddy...” Rinoa whispered, making Caraway stop and look at her. He sighed, his expression becoming a little pained and mostly fond.

 

“Rinny,” he said lovingly. This time Rinoa was the one who broke into tears, and this time, her father's hug was not a crush, but a warm, familiar embrace.

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: I think it's better when family members get along.

Epilogues are gonna be posted about ever 4 days or so. I have a schedule on my phone.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	41. Epilogue 3

6 July 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\

 

Defeating Ultimecia and ending Time Compression didn't seem real until Zell was sitting at home with his mom and dad, eating Ma's special fishloaf and fresh bread, while the two people he loved most in the world beamed at him. Parades and stuff were cool and all, but to Zell, _this_ was the hero's welcome he'd always wanted. It only made perfect circular sense that the massive earthshaking journey would begin and end at home.

 

When he couldn't eat any more (and had all the cracks filled by some of Pa's excellent homebrewed beer, which they let Zell have because it was a special occasion), Zell finally asked the niggling question that had been poking him in the back of his head since Trabia and finding out about his lost memories.

 

“Hey... Ma? Pa? How come you never told me I was adopted?”

 

They were all in the kitchen, so when Ma whipped around in shock, she dropped sudsy glass all over the floor. Pa jerked away from Zell like he'd started speaking in tongues.

 

“Who told you?!” Ma demanded, eyes wide.

 

“Nobody,” said Zell, confused. “I figured it out. I remembered.” As Ma and Pa looked at each other, something unpleasant occurred to Zell. “Wait... Were you just not planning on telling me my whole life?”

 

“Is it really that important?” Pa asked hesitantly. “You're our boy.”

 

“Well yeah, but...” Zell struggled with what he wanted to say. Now he felt like he'd done something wrong, but at the same time there was a belligerent pushback from somewhere deep in his soul that made him want to keep going even though Ma looked like she was about to cry.

 

“No buts,” she said firmly, sniffling. “You're our boy.”

 

Zell gritted his teeth in frustration. “I know that. But... Look, why wouldn't you tell me?”

 

“We didn't see the point,” said Pa, touching his shoulder. When Zell looked at him incredulously, Pa sighed and said, “When we went out and brought you back home, you cried every day. You were so scared of being left alone or that we'd change our minds, so we just...”

 

“You're our son,” said Ma, coming to the table. Clutching Zell's hand, she said, “That is _all_ that matters, Zell.”

 

Zell looked at her, hating how she suddenly seemed so strange to him. “To you, yeah,” he heard himself saying distantly. “But not to me.”

 

Pa and Ma were staring at him, eyes huge with betrayal. Zell's mouth went dry. This was going wrong, he could tell it in his bones, but he didn't know how to fix it.

 

“I know who you got me from,” he said, making Pa and Ma flinch. “They're nice people. Did they tell you not to tell me?”

 

“It was supposed to be a _closed adoption,_ ” said Pa bitterly, making Zell stare at him.

 

“I wanna see my papers,” said Zell, making Pa jump. “There have to be some, right? You just didn't just stick me in a basket and come home, did you?”

 

“Oh Zell, what does it matter?” Ma cried, touching his head and his face like he was vanishing before her eyes. “We've never lied about your name or your birthday or—”

 

“What about my real last name?” Zell asked, making his parents gasp. “Or where I'm from? Why was I even at the orphanage in the first place? Do you know?”

 

“We...” Pa stammered, going pale. “We assumed... There were so many orphans after the war—”

 

“Why did you go all the way down to Centra?” Zell asked, making Ma and Pa flinch. “There had to be orphans closer to here, but you went all the way to the end of the world...”

 

“But they told us we were too old,” said Ma, tears spilling down her face. “There's a cutoff for most places.”

 

“Or too poor,” said Pa heavily, lowering his eyes. Zell unconsciously reached out and put his hand on his dad's shoulder, but the older man pulled back and Zell's mouth dropped in shock. It felt like being punched directly in the heart.

 

“Pa...” Zell breathed, feeling his eyes sting.

 

Pa stood up from the table, his face darkening. He wasn't an angry man, but he was a powerful one and sometimes his rage came out in swings, all the stronger for their rarity. As a younger (but still past middle-age, Zell realized) man, he'd often told Zell that it was important for a man to have discipline, and that was why Zell had gone for martial arts. But Zell remembered holes in the plaster from when Pa sometimes _really_ lost his temper and... Not that he'd ever hit Zell or Ma, but sometimes he just had to hit something.

 

“Don't you dare pretend like you're hurt,” said Pa, his voice vibrating with anger. “Not when you come in here and throw our _lives_ in our faces like this!”

 

“I'm not throwing anything!” Zell exclaimed, hurt exploding into shock. “I'm confused!”

 

Ma fluttered over and tried to soothe him with a hug, saying, “Zell, there's nothing to be confused about—”

 

“Yes there is! Stop telling me how to feel!”

 

“Then get out until you know where your heart lies,” said Pa, making Zell stare and Ma gasp.

 

“...Fine...” gasped Zell, getting to his feet. Ma's arms tightened around him, so he hugged her back before gently disentangling himself from her embrace. Pa's forearms swelled, the veins pushing against his tanned skin, and Zell saw another vein pulsing in his dad's forehead. He felt a flutter of worry under the roil of shock and horror that made him go for the door. He grabbed the doorknob.

 

“You know...” said Zell, too sick to turn around and look at them in their faces. “I don't think my real dad would ever say that to me.” He heard a cry of dismay and his lips pulled back over his teeth in something that he hoped was a smile. Because the other expression would be heartbreak and he didn't think he could feel any worse.

 

“And I don't think my real parents would ever lie to me,” he said, twisting the knob and letting himself out.

 

It was too bright outside and too cheerful. Zell dashed the angry tears from his eyes and started to run before any of his neighbors (they'd probably known he was adopted his whole life too) could ask what was wrong. He struck off for the East, for the Garden... Which was starting to feel like the only real home he'd ever known.

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: Based off multiple accounts of adopted parents being real dicks to their kids. I wish all families got along all the time, but it just doesn't happen that way. I have no hard feelings against Zell but he did get the short end of the stick. And though we ever only see Ma Dincht in the game, Zell makes references to 'parents' and since Balamb is on the ocean, I figured Mr. Dincht is a fisherman and not necessarily home all the time.

 

If you're ever thinking of adopting, please read up on adoptee trauma. Because being adopted is traumatic, and expecting children to essentially be pets is no good. Multiple studies show that adoptees have higher rates of mental illness like depression and domestic abuse that IS linked to unaddressed issues of being adopted and exacerbated by parents who won't or don't know how to talk about adoptee trauma. This can be particularly true and hurtful if you're thinking of adopting a child who's a different race than you, because "colorblindness" and pretending that race doesn't matter actually hurts these children; it belittles their experiences, makes them think they can't trust you, and doesn't give them the tools they need to be able to handle race-based situations. I have nothing against adoption itself, but adoption should always be done ethically (because sadly, it isn't always) and should always be done with the CHILD'S best interest in mind, not the family's. The children are the ones who need help.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	42. Epilogue 4

10 July 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\

 

Selphie had been helping out in her parents' OR since she was a little girl, though back then her roles had usually consisted of checking people in, taking money (since nobody liked cheating little girls) or helping wash up the aftermath of surgery. But now that she was older and no stranger to blood, Selphie spent the first few weeks after Time Compression in a much more active capacity. Her ability to cast para-magic healing almost endlessly was a huge weight off her parents' supplies, though the neverending need for help made Selphie want to cry. Not where anyone could see, of course; she was Selphie 'Sunshine' Tilmitt and also one of the legendary SeeDs that had killed Sorceress Edea. And legendary types did not cry. So Selphie usually stuffed her tears back until she was about ready to go to sleep, and then she put her face in the pillow and just let them seep out.

 

She'd forgotten how thin the walls were in her childhood house until one week after she'd come back to Trabia to help her folks, the light switched on in the middle of her safe-cry time and made her sit up and wipe her tears.

 

“Sweetie...”

 

“Yes, Mama?” Selphie asked, looking at the woman who'd adopted her. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that Selphie and her mother were _not_ related; Selphie was short, slim, and pale while her mother was over six feet tall, black as the middle of a Trabian winter, and built like a lumberjack. Biologically she was a man, but no one would ever think that just by looking at her fine-boned, model-perfect face. Mama Tilmitt came into her daughter's room and sat down on the bed, brushing Selphie's cheek with her warm fingers.

 

“Do you want to take a rest?” Mama asked, looking at her with concern. “You've been working nonstop since you came home.”

 

“I'm okay, Mama,” said Selphie, rubbing her eyes. “I'm just tired. Besides, you 'n' Papa work way harder.”

 

“Are you kidding? Having you around is like being on vacation,” said Mama, kissing her on the forehead. “Just stay home and rest for the next few days. We'll do alright. We don't need magic for every cut and scuffle.”

 

“But I wanna help!”

 

“Then help yourself,” said Mama, giving her a hug. “You've always been such a serious little girl, Selphie. Smiling and giggling... But always ready to drop everything to do what you can. And pretending like you can't be sad when someone else has a 'real' problem.”

 

“There's a difference between being humble and kicking yourself when you're down,” said Papa, making Selphie look up at the doorway. Her father, a full head shorter than her mother and the color of coffee with cream, came into the room and sat next to her too. “And there's a difference between being grateful for your blessings and using them to torment yourself when others aren't so lucky.”

 

Selphie sniffled. “I just wish I could do more,” she said, sighing deeply. “The last time the Garden was here, we had blankets and things and...”

 

“And that helped so much,” said Papa, hugging her tightly. His brown beard was flecked with more white than she'd seen before and her heart hurt a little. “Really, it did.”

 

“And I sold _everything_ I could, I did, I just—”

 

“Oh, sweetie, it's not up to you to put everything on your shoulders,” said Mama, kissing her head. “You're only 17. And yes, you can do some amazing things, but let the adults handle things once in a while, okay?”

 

“But I'm a SeeD,” said Selphie, making her parents sigh in agreement. “I wanna do more! And really feel like I'm _fixing_ something, you know?”

 

“We'll brainstorm on that later,” said Papa, who was always the problem-solver. “In the meantime, do you want some hot cocoa?”

 

“I brushed my teeth already,” said Selphie, but they all went to the kitchen anyway and made hot cocoa. Selphie always felt the most at ease in her parents' kitchen. They weren't rich, but careful saving and spending had allowed them to make the most of their house, and instead of the usual bleakness that came from having an expanded concrete dome for a house, the Tilmitts had laid down a real wood floor, covered the walls in colorful rugs, and had an old-fashioned lantern with a modern light inside to cast a comforting glow over the house. Outside it was snowing again, coming halfway up the windows, so it was actually about four feet high since the house was sunk partly underground.

 

Once they were all situated, they played boardgames until Selphie's heart felt full. But it wasn't until they played The Game of Life that the wheels in her head started turning.

 

“Freaking lowlanders,” muttered Papa as he counted out stacks of fake cash. “How does it take several thousand gil to get married?”

 

“Are you kidding?” asked Mama, her brows raising. “The dress, the suit, the flowers, the venue, the reception, the—”

 

“The _luxury goods,”_ said Papa, which made Mama sigh a bit and then laugh. “You and I got a marriage license for 200 gil and that was _it.”_

 

“I'm not complaining,” said Mama. “35000 gil is a _very_ nice down payment on a house.”

 

Still, Selphie looked at her mother and imagined her in a long white dress, with a long veil edged in embroidery like those models in the magazines. And when Mama looked back at her cards with a concealed moue of wistfulness, Selphie knew that the woman's heart ached for a bit more pageantry than their budget allowed.

 

“Hmm... Be right back,” said Selphie, skipping away from the table. It took some digging in her bag, but at last she found what she was looking for and ran back out. “Mama, this is for you!”

 

“What is that?” Mama asked, cocking her head and then gasping when she saw the delicate gold and garnet crown that Selphie was holding. “Selphie! Where did you get that?”

 

“Spoils of battle,” said Selphie, putting the beautiful Royal Crown on her mother's head. Mama was in a braid phase instead of cloud hair phase, so it was easy to put on. Selphie had always had a vague idea of keeping the beautiful relic for a special occasion. “There! Nicer than any lowland bride.”

 

As Mama laughed, her face sparkling with joy, Selphie saw her father's gaze soften into something truly adoring. It reminded Selphie of how Irvine looked at her, which made her heart squeeze a little. Cell phones were prohibitively expensive and had crappy coverage out in Trabia, but for a moment she wanted nothing more than to selfishly hear the sound of his voice...

 

“Hmm,” she said aloud.

 

“What?” Her parents looked at her.

 

“Nothing,” she said, rubbing her head. “It's an almost-idea. I'll think about it while I'm finding a veil. And Papa, put on your best suit.”

 

“What?” He asked, nevertheless half-rising from the table. “Why?”

 

“Because we're gonna have a fancy lowland wedding and it's gonna be fun!”

 

“It's the middle of the night!”

 

“Don't care, doing it anyway!” And Selphie ran off before her parents could argue, buoyed by their laughter.

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: The Tilmitts are very nice people. Sometimes too nice, hence their constant flirtation with poverty. Fortunately like most Trabians, they are also very thrifty with sparse materials and also very happy to barter with their neighbors, so they are usually not wanting. They have always wanted to be able to adopt another child, but after the heartbreak of being basically forced to send Selphie to Trabia Garden to make sure she always had enough to eat, was always warm, and would be educated in a way that would provide her a way of living, they decided not to.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	43. Epilogue 5

14 July 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\

 

Irvine stood in front of his second orphanage and sighed.

 

When the original orphanage had split up, one of Cid and Edea's friends in the same circle had come by and offered to take some of the kids off Cid's hands. After thinking about it, Cid had agreed and kept the really troublesome, hard-to-adopt kids with him for the Garden while the more charming and cuter kids went off with Mr. Courvosian to his place in Galbadia.

 

It sucked Wendigo balls. Even without Sefie, even without Matron, life in the Courvosian Orphanage was just not good. Courvosian was one of those types who meant well but didn't know what the fuck he was doing, with the result that he hired a manager who put up a good front and actually didn't do what he was supposed to. Irvine looked up at the closed-down ruin of his second orphanage and sighed again, unwillingly remembering being cold and hungry and feeling like things would never change...

 

“ _Thank Hyne for the military,”_ thought Irvine wryly. And on a more serious note, _“Thank Hyne for my aim.”_

 

He'd been twelve and out on the town since Mr. Marshall didn't really care what they did so long as they didn't make trouble, and he'd happened to see an older pickpocket running away with an old lady's purse. The policeman cottoned on too late and wouldn't be able to catch up, so without much thought Irvine picked up a nearby rock and threw it, pegging the pickpocket in the head and knocking him out before he hit the pavement. An army recruiter had been nearby and took Irvine out to eat as a way of saying good job, and after a few hours of chatting, the recruiter had asked him if he wanted to leave the orphanage. Irvine had said yes, which was how he'd ended up in Galbadia Garden. Technically he was a G-Garden ward who should have been trained to be a SeeD, but more and more of his classes had to do with becoming regular army instead, to the point where even if Irvine did literally nothing but study around the clock for the next three years, he'd never be able to catch up to the training that Squall, Quistis, Zell, Selphie, and hell, even Seifer had had their whole lives.

 

Not that it mattered much. He could still whack things with impunity.

 

As Irvine turned to go, he heard a squeak of brakes behind him and Irvine turned to see a man in his mid-twenties come out, his eyes on the orphanage. He noticed Irvine immediately, but the recognition in his eyes was not mere 'famous hero in front of my face'.

 

“Irvine!” He exclaimed.

 

“That's me,” said Irvine cautiously.

 

“It's Jendall,” said the man, gesturing at him. Irvine looked him up and down, not recognizing the suit or the name. “Jendall! Come on! We were here together! Remember?”

 

“...sorry, no,” said Irvine, shrugging helplessly.

 

Fortunately Jendall seemed the easygoing type. And the mildly psychotic type, because he jerked his thumb at the crumbling ruin and said, “You here to see it go up too?”

 

“Go up?”

 

Jendall sighed. “Oh, that's right... You got out. Welp, remember Mr. Marshall?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Turns out he was porking a couple of the older girls,” said Jendall, making Irvine go cold. “They reported him to Mr. C, who was so horrified that he got Marshall jailed and shut this place down. It's been four years and he can't do anything with the property, so he's setting it on fire.”

 

“Shit,” said Irvine, looking back at the old ruin. “What about the kids?”

 

“The kids or the kids of kids?” Jendall asked dryly, making Irvine wince. “Nah, Mr. C's a good sort, just kinda dumb sometimes. He got a lot of us placed with good people once he actually stuck his oar in. But...”

 

“But not you,” said Irvine as Jendall lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.

 

“Nah, not me.” Jendall leaned against the car. As Irvine approached, he noticed the government plates and how Jendall's suit fit him okay instead of just fine.

 

“So, lookit you,” said Jendall, looking at Irvine sidelong as Irvine leaned against the car with him. “17, saving the world.”

 

“Kinda happened by accident.”

 

“Yeah, well... You've always had the devil's own luck.”

 

Irvine just shrugged at that. “What're you doing these days?”

 

“Foster care reform,” said Jendall, making Irvine look at him in surprise. The older man's mouth twisted when he said, “One of the girls Marshall was screwing was my older sister. And I couldn't get over how he slipped through the cracks.”

 

“Shit.”

 

“Yeah, shit. Hey, you're a SeeD, right? If I give you a hundred gil, will you whack him for me?”

 

“I'm technically military,” said Irvine, making Jendall sigh. “And a hundred gil wouldn't cut it when you count in planning, execution, getaway...”

 

“Forget I asked,” said Jendall, taking another deep drag on his cigarette. “Ain't like he's getting out any time soon anyway. Mr. C's a little dumb but he's got the money to make up for it. Hey, what are you doing this evening?”

 

“Nothing much,” said Irvine. Glancing at the orphanage, he said, “This was the last stop on my nostalgia tour.”

 

He'd come here out of a sense of hopelessness. Squall had a new family, Rinoa had her dad, and Selphie and Zell had their own people too... Even Quistis had a home in all of Balamb Garden. But him...

 

“I'm supposed to talk to a bunch of at-risk kids tonight,” said Jendall, making Irvine blink. “Call me crazy, but I think you'd make more of an impression.”

 

“Uh... Why are they at risk?”

 

Jendall's laugh was bitter. “That's just government speak for 'we're obligated to care for these children, but we don't actually give two shits about them. So we're slapping a label on and saying 'welp, we tried' when our lack of useful support makes them turn to crime to survive'.” He took a long, irritated drag on his cigarette. “Sorry. Personal issues.”

 

“Don't bother me none,” said Irvine, shrugging. “But I still don't get why you want me to talk to them.”

 

Jendall was quiet for a long time. The cigarette burned down to almost nothing before he came up with a reply.

 

“Look... These kids are used to having no way out. They don't know what to do with themselves, and I'm not just talking lack of education or job opportunities. They feel hopeless. And I dunno, I just thought... Well, they look up to you.”

 

“Me?” That was an honest shock. “Why?”

 

“Because you're Galbadian. And an orphan. And you lived in a shitty system and rose above it.” Jendall sighed. “I mean, I did too, but nobody looks at me and goes, 'yes! Civil servant! That is what I _want_ to do!' But you're a real-life hero, so... I dunno... Just tell 'em not to give up, or something. It was a dumb thought.”

 

“No, no, not at all,” said Irvine, shaking his head. He still didn't know how he felt about it, but talking to lost kids with not a lot of hope... Well, it was better than mooching around the streets. Maybe if he told them to believe in something for long enough, he'd start feeling it himself. “Let's go. I'll do it.”

 

Jendall blinked at him and then grinned slowly. “Alright,” he said, nodding. “Alright. Cool. Get in the car, Irvine. We'll talk a bit. Who knows, if you like it, maybe you can do a couple more talks.”

 

“I got nothing planned,” said Irvine, a rue smile touching his lips. “We'll see what happens.”

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: Sometimes you find things you like to do when you fall into them by accident. And Irvine's always struck me as someone who's actually looking for connection.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	44. Epilogue 6

18 July 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\

 

Quistis walked into Xu's office, which now bore the nameplate of 'Headmaster Xiong' in shiny brass lettering. In her arms she carried a stack of admissions folders for prospective students, another stack of which Xu was going through.

 

“Thanks Qu,” said Xu, not looking up at Quistis as she came in. “Is that all of them?”

 

“Yes,” said Quistis. “Reviewed and signed by all senior faculty.”

 

“Cool,” said Xu, writing something on one of the forms. “And what about the—”

 

“Logistics and Supplies have reached an agreement,” said Quistis, naming the two most irritable departments in the Garden; insults regularly flew between the staffers of both and occasionally turned into fights as they accused each other of stinginess and wastefulness respectively. “They just need your signature on the new budget proposal.”

 

“Cool, cool. And—”

 

“The new Disciplinary Committee candidates have all been evaluated and again await your official approval.”

 

“Okay.” And Xu kept on writing, but her voice turned slightly sly as she said, “And what about—”

 

“No,” said Quistis, folding her arms. Xu looked up from her papers, her brow arched.

 

“You're basically doing the job already,” said Xu. “Just take the promotion and the pay bump and be my Assistant Headmaster already.”

 

“No,” said Quistis, shaking her head. “I'm not old enough or senior enough.”

 

“Age has nothing to do with competence,” said Xu, reciting a mantra that had gotten both her and Quistis through difficult times as brilliant young ladies. As Quistis looked away, she said, “Look, you know as well as I do that everybody who wants the job is not fit in some way. The only problem with you is that you don't want it.”

 

Quistis bit her lip. She _did_ want the position. She knew she would be good at it, having watched Xu serve as Assistant to Cid for many years. But...

 

“ _I was fired from being an Instructor. How could I be an Assistant Headmaster? Lack of leadership skills can't be a_ plus _in that job...”_

 

“I have other things I need to do,” said Quistis, her hands tightening on her elbows.

 

“Oh? Like what?”

 

Quistis bit her lip. “I... I had an 'incident' in Lunatic Pandora that really scared me. A blue magic incident. I need to learn more about myself, Xu, and what I'm really capable of.”

 

Xu nodded slowly, understanding lighting her eyes. “That's a good idea. It's true we really don't know much about blue magic... And you've got more monster skills under your belt than anybody I've ever even heard of. Are you sure Zama can't help you though? Maybe he'll have something for you.”

 

“ _Something that will keep you here,”_ was what Quistis read out of her friend's expression.

 

“Zama's been out of practice for years,” said Quistis. “And he says the Elder in his village knows way more. I trust him, so I'll go. I plan to go on sabbatical for at least a year. I've already filed the paperwork and I hired a transport to Dollet.” She gestured at Xu's desk. “You should be getting to it soon.”

 

Xu stared at her, goggle-eyed. She looked at her desk and then at Quistis. “...A whole year?”

 

Quistis nodded, gazing out of the window. “Xu... I've had more experience in the past three years than most SeeDs get in ten. I need a break. And I'm gonna take it now. I'm sorry that I'll be leaving you in the lurch, but I need to do this for me. I hope you understand.”

 

Xu got up from her desk. She walked around it, her face very serious. Quistis braced, but instead Xu hugged her hard, sighing in deep relief.

 

“Yes, xiaomei,” said Xu, her voice low and happy. “Yes. Take as much time as you need. You take _the hell_ out of that break. Jiejie will always be here for you, okay?”

 

“Okay,” said Quistis, hugging her back. Already she was planning her itinerary; pack a bag for Dollet, study whatever she could put her hands on. And then...?

 

“ _We'll see,”_ thought Quistis, glancing at the silver necklace she'd wrapped around her wrist. And a small smile curled her lips.

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: No unhappy Quistis trapped in the Garden system in MY universe.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	45. Epilogue 7

24 July 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\

 

Seifer had done well enough in Outdoor Survival that he'd never starve or go cold, but that was about all he could do. He could take care of himself perfectly fine, but others...

 

“How's he doing?” Seifer asked Fujin as he came back to their rough camp. The portal they'd chosen was so far from civilization that it might as well have been the moon, and to make things worse, Raijin had gotten sick. Thanks to his new lore, Seifer was able to burn illness out of his blood and Fujin could filter the air she breathed, but Raijin had no extra defenses and the stress of the past month had lowered his immunity dangerously. At the moment he was curled up on the ground, unconscious but restlessly turning as a high fever made him sweat buckets.

 

Fujin, who had been kneeling at Raijin's side, sighed and stood up. She handed Seifer a worn little notebook, which was how she communicated when she was tired or had a lot to say. Seifer flipped it open and read her strange shorthand, a combination of Garden script, her native language, and notations and symbols that only made sense to the three of them.

 

“ _His fever has increased and his breathing has become short and erratic. He can't keep anything down for long except water. The body aches have gotten to the point where he can't sit up on his own power. I'm afraid he's going to die.”_

 

No wonder she hadn't wanted to say any of this aloud. Seifer looked at her over the top of the notebook and she just stared back at him. But not hopelessly. Seifer looked at the next few words.

 

“ _I think we should head for the coast. I know we're trying to lie low, but at least if we're picked up by a ship, they might have care for him. We have no idea what we're doing. We need help.”_

 

“Let's make a stretcher,” he said, handing the notebook back to Fujin; she nodded and stuck it back in her pocket. Raijin opened his eyes and groaned softly as he rolled onto his back.

 

“Seifer...”

 

“I'm here,” said Seifer, going to his friend and kneeling by his head.

 

Fujin walked off into the woods. Raijin's hand twitched and Seifer glanced down.

 

“What do you want?” He asked. “I'll get it for you.”

 

Raijin rolled his eyes. At first Seifer thought he was about to have a seizure until he saw the slightly annoyed look on his friend's face.

 

“You chump,” said Raijin. “Dumbass.”

 

“Hey now,” said Seifer, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “Save that for when you're better and we can have a real fight.”

 

“I don't wanna fight you,” said Raijin, closing his eyes.

 

“...yeah, okay. Sorry.” Seifer curled his hands on the tops of his knees, leaning slightly over to listen to Raijin's breathing. Breaths were not supposed to crackle. Seifer could just hear Raijin's lungs crisping to useless bags of nothing and he had to fight back a surge of panic. This was not fair, not after everything.

 

“ _I should be the one on my deathbed...”_ he thought, unable to look away from Raijin wasting in front of his eyes. _“All they ever did was follow me. I wanna trade.”_

 

“I wish we woulda dated.”

 

Immediately Seifer reared back. He stared at Raijin, who was still lying flat with his eyes closed. He was super sick. Delirious.

 

Still, Seifer went, “What?”

 

“But maybe it's good we didn't,” said Raijin, making Seifer stare at him even harder. “Because then we mighta broken up and I don't wanna not be in your life. You're important, ya know? Like the sun.”

 

Another other time, Seifer might have laughed things off or just walked away, but you didn't do that with a deathbed confession. So he stayed still and tried to make himself savor the awkwardness, which was sort of a nice change from terrifying conviction and self-hatred. Sort of. Not really.

 

“I didn't even know you were gay,” said Seifer, feeling stupid on multiple levels.

 

“Didn't make a big deal of it.”

 

“Oh.”

 

Raijin didn't say anything after that. Seifer was suddenly terrified that those were his friend's last words.

 

“Does... Does Fujin know?” Seifer asked, desperate for a response.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Oh. Okay.”

 

All of a sudden Raijin started laughing. But all Seifer could think was, _“Stop! Stop! You will hurt yourself!”_ as the laughter almost immediately turned into racking coughs that half-lifted Raijin off the ground. Seifer hovered anxiously, his instinctive reaction to touch Raijin hitting a solid wall of fear that Raijin might misconstrue something.

 

“ _Which is some_ dumb shit, _because we're been hugging and punching each other for years, and if he didn't get the wrong idea then... You fucking idiot, Seifer. Keep it together!”_

 

“Hang on,” he said to Raijin as the coughing eased. “I'm gonna get you some water, okay?”

 

“Okay.”

 

So Seifer went and got some water. There was a stream nearby, so Seifer folded a large leaf into a cone, scooped up some water, and then concentrated on boiling just the water with his fire lore until all potential badness was out of it. The leaf cup had crisped down to the waterline, so he walked very carefully back to Raijin to avoid spilling anything. In the end he had to help Raijin sit up and drink; the bigger man was very weak and tired.

 

“Sorry it's hot.”

 

“Muh.” Raijin drank as much as he could before lying back down and closing his eyes. “M'glad you're back.”

 

“Me too,” said Seifer, a lump growing in his throat. As his eyes started to burn, Seifer managed to clamp his teeth down on the automatic cry for forgiveness. He didn't deserve it. Even asking was self-indulgent. “Hey... You're gonna get better, okay?”

 

“Uh-huh.”

 

“I mean it. Fuj and I are making a stretcher and we're going down to the coast and we're gonna find a boat. And when you're all better, we'll steal it and go diving for shells, okay?”

 

Raijin didn't say anything, but the breath he took was deep and even. Seifer held his own until he realized it wasn't Raijin's last.

 

Fujin came back with a half-completed sledge; apparently she'd been letting them have their time. They padded it with Seifer's coat and took turns dragging the sledge through the forest, moving in purposeful silence. Whoever was not dragging was on guard duty and Raijin duty, making sure he drank and ate whatever bits of food they could find. Seifer's heart was a vibrating lump of iron in his chest, threatening to suck everything in like a neutron star. This was a bitch way for Raijin to die.

 

“ _He's not gonna die. He_ can't _die like this, not after everything.”_

 

They reached the coast as the clear pale blue of afternoon started to give way to hot pink and purple slashes of clouds with the onset of evening. Seifer was dragging the sledge then, ignoring burning shoulder muscles and hands that were more than half-cramping. He kept his gaze focused at his feet and when scrubby grass turned to sand, he looked up at the coastline. After convincing himself for hours that they'd find something, the sight of empty ocean in front of him seemed impossible. Dumbly he looked at Fujin, who was staring out at sea with the same blank look.

 

“...Let's go north a bit,” said Seifer. Fujin nodded slowly and they started to walk again. Raijin didn't make a sound.

 

Twilight darkened to evening and then true night, and there was nothing on the ocean except the reflection of starlight on the waves. The moon hung full and bright, as clean as though nothing in the world was wrong. Seifer glared up at it with totally irrational hatred when they stopped for a rest. Fujin sat at Raijin's side, her hand on his chest and her eyes closed with exhaustion. The wind was stirring around her constantly and Seifer suddenly wondered if the steady, cough-free rise and fall of Raijin's chest was due to recovery or magical artificial respiration. Fujin did look awfully sick and grey.

 

And then she coughed and wiped her forehead. Seifer stared in utter horror.

 

“Fuj...” Seifer choked out as she started coughing harder, deep scratchy coughs like Raijin had had for the past three days. “No... Fujin. You're just thirsty. I'll get you some water.”

 

Fujin smiled tiredly. “Okay,” she whispered.

 

“I'll be right back.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Seifer walked north along the beach. Before he knew it, he was running. He knew he should be getting water, there was a huge fucking body of it right on his left, but what was the point? He was only staving off the inevitable...

 

...that everybody who ever tried to love him would die or leave him...

 

“ _Not fair. Not fair! NOT FAIR!”_

 

Seifer stopped and screamed his frustration to the the heavens. Ten feet around him, the beach's coarse sand turned to glass as fire exploded out of his eyes, his ears, his hair and mouth, roiled off his skin and enveloped him in a flame that was thirty feet high and five feet wide. His chest burned.

 

“ _Chump. Dumbass.”_

 

“ _FOOL.”_

 

Seifer pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes and started to cry. Meanwhile the fire still burned.

 

And a mile away, cloaked by darkness and the spells of the sorceress who had returned home, a White SeeD named Orizon narrowed his eyes in mild confusion.

 

“Hey, Matron?”

 

“Yes?” asked Edea, seemingly appearing out of the shadows of the White SeeD Ship.

 

“Should we be worried about that?” Orizon asked, pointing at the pinpoint of flame in the distance.

 

Edea drew her finger before her eyes, sharpening her sight with ghostly golden sparks. Orizon waited for her command.

 

“...No,” she said, dismissing the sparks. “In fact, get one of the small boats ready for me right now. There are three children we need to pick up immediately.”

 

“Yes, Matron.”

 

/\/\/\

 

a/n: Last epilogue. Gonna have a 2-week break since I will be on vacation before starting up with Growing Seed. I was originally planning to publish this on Wednesday, but a liquid accident borked that plan. I'm going to be using the 2 weeks to catch up drawing stuff and getting back into the art swing of things, so my tumblr will be updated with sketches and what fairly regularly. Thank you so much for reading and enjoying thus far.

 

Hope to see you all in 2 weeks!

 

/\/\/\/\/\


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